


Currents

by lunchbucket



Series: Rising Tides [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Alternate Universe - Olympics, American Remus, Athlete Remus, Athlete Sirius, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, Getting Together, Heavy on Humor, Lake Tahoe, Light on Angst, London, M/M, Smut, Summer Olympics, Swimming, Sydney - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2020-04-11 12:41:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 109,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19109890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunchbucket/pseuds/lunchbucket
Summary: Remus Lupin and Sirius Black arrive in Sydney to compete in the Summer Olympics, both intent on making these games a better experience than the last. The two swimmers have a tumultuous history and intense rivalry, but can America’s golden boy and Great Britain’s notorious bad boy put their past behind them and find some common ground?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all, this fic is mostly complete and I will be posting updates every couple of days. This is a summer olympics fic, but please keep in mind that the dates and cities for the olympics are not accurate -- I just chose the host cities based on where I have been and what I could most accurately write about!

Remus’ arm arced gracefully through the water as he completed the last stroke of his workout that day. He had been instructed by his coach to taper down his workouts the week before competition, and Remus had mostly kept his promise, but today he had spent two extra hours in the pool swimming a relaxed freestyle. Nothing else was as effective at calming his mind and bringing him back to center. Plus, after living in the pool for six hours a day during the past four years leading up to the Sydney games, it was a hard habit to give up.

This was Remus’ second Olympics and he was determined to make it a more positive experience than the first. He had left Athens with six medals, three of them gold. However, the entirety of those accomplishments had been tainted by the simultaneous death of his father. 

Remus gave his spine a couple of slow satisfying twists as he finished his lap and held onto the rim of the pool, massaging at a tense spot underneath his right shoulder blade before shaking his wavy light-brown hair loose from the swim cap and tossing it aside. He pressed his palms flat against the tile lining the side of the pool and let his eyes shut gently, rolling his neck from side to side to loosen up the small muscles there. 

Remus pulled himself out of the water and hummed an appreciative sound at the silence around him, letting his eyes fall shut again for a few more moments. He had arrived in Sydney a whole week before the other athletes to acclimate to the time change and lodging; there were a few other competitors hanging around, but nothing compared to what it would be like in just a couple of days when the Opening Ceremonies would begin. 

Remus always had trouble sleeping when he traveled, even as a child, so he had hoped getting to the location early would help, and it had. However, there was just something profoundly calming about being home in Tahoe, surrounded by fresh lakeside air and his mother, that he just couldn’t get in a big city.

Opening his eyes again, Remus made a mental note that this was probably the last time he’d be able to swim laps in peace before the pool was populated with athletes and the Olympic village teeming with people. An introvert, Remus deeply appreciated these quiet moments — rare jewels of solitude in an otherwise frenzied competitive environment. Remus’ friends, family, and fellow US athletes would begin to arrive tomorrow and now that he was feeling more grounded after a week to himself, and his sleep schedule was mostly adjusted to the new time zone, he was genuinely looking forward to seeing them all again.

Remus padded into the barren pool locker room which had now become his own private white-tiled spa oasis. He looked forward to his scalding hot post-swim shower every day, but it sounded especially nice right now given the continued strained muscle nestled below his shoulder blade that he’d been nursing for a few days. It wasn’t painful enough to affect his stroke, but the ache was annoying nonetheless. 

As he turned the corner heading toward the showers, his eyes were drawn to a copy of the infamous latest issue of People magazine — the one that had been unmercifully haunting him everywhere he went for weeks — lying on a nearby bench. He spun around looking for signs of the cruel person who would have left it out in the open, but the place was totally empty. 

“Okay, I’m being haunted by a magazine. Outstanding.” Remus muttered to himself with suspicion.

Last month, leading up to the Olympics, the American version of People magazine had labeled Remus as “America’s Sexiest Olympian!” and asked to profile him for the upcoming issue. Remus, mortified by the attention, had only decided to participate in the photoshoot and interview because his mom was out-of-her-mind excited about it. Her only son, in a magazine, a magazine that she actually reads -- how could he say no? What had begun as a sweet gesture for his mother had led to a level of publicity that he was absolutely not prepared for, not to mention a little too much shit from his friends, however good-hearted. The ridicule wasn’t unfounded, though, if he was being honest with himself. It was a gossip magazine afterall.

Remus picked up the magazine with a snap of his wrist and gave the cover a small grimace. He would never, ever get used to seeing this. The front page consisted of Remus wearing the smallest pair of Team USA swim trunks as he emerged glistening out of an impossibly blue Lake Tahoe. The whole thing was just gratuitously picturesque. Remus’ skin was perfectly tanned in the photo, his tousled hair a lighter-than-usual golden brown from training outside in the intense high altitude sunshine, and droplets of crystal clear water pooled at his clavicle. He got the distinct feeling that the magazine’s editors took a few liberties with photoshop, given there were literally no flaws to be found. 

Shuddering with his whole body, Remus promptly tossed the magazine in the trash before grabbing a towel, hanging it on a nearby hook, and sliding into an empty shower stall of his choosing. The attention wasn’t all bad, he guessed, in the long term; he was building a brand for himself and that, in addition to his success as a swimmer, was opening up a lot of doors that could serve him well later on after he was done with sports. But still, the less copies of that magazine around in Sydney, the better. He turned the faucet and released a long sigh as the warm water hit his tired back, feeling content that at least one of the thousands of copies was out of circulation before the throng of athletes arrived.

It had never been a secret that Remus was a gay athlete, and he really didn’t understand what the fuss was about now. During the previous summer Olympics, Remus was open about his serious relationship with his ex-boyfriend, Garrett, so it’s not exactly news. He had attended all of Remus’ events and accompanied him to press junkets, and even though Remus had hated the attention, pictures had been released online of them happily embracing and kissing after Remus’ victories. 

Despite that, the latest People article made a point to highlight Remus’ sexuality (gay!) and broadcast his current relationship status (SINGLE!!). In fact, almost the entire second half of the article centered around those two topics, he reflected as he rinsed out his hair. He scoffed at the thought of people who didn’t know him somehow caring about the minutiae of his lovelife. Maybe his brain was wired differently from other people, but it was simply a foreign concept to Remus.

He enjoyed a couple more seconds of blessed warmth before turning the faucet hard to the left and then began drying off his hair. He slung the towel low around his hips as he stepped out of the stall, hoping internally that the next three weeks of competition wouldn’t shine such a bright light on his personal life. He just planned to keep his head down and swim his best, hopefully win more gold medals, and enjoy his last Olympics.

*****

Sirius Black slept soundly in first class, sprawled comfortably in the individual “pod” provided to passengers on international flights, his long black hair fanning across his pillow. It was an extraordinarily long trip to Sydney from London, but Sirius was grateful for his unmatched ability to sleep anywhere, and because of it, he was rather fond of flying. The second leg of the trip, having taken off from Los Angeles, still had about eight hours left in the air, but Sirius was so comfortable that he wasn’t even counting.

Minutes later, Sirius felt himself slowly pulled out of his deep, peaceful sleep as a putrid but recognizable odor filled his nostrils with each inhale. Confused as he gradually regained consciousness, he was unable to comprehend (i) why an airplane 30,000 feet in the sky would reek of dead fish, and (ii) whether the smell was real or some sort of vivid mental remnant of a horrible nautical-themed nightmare he’d been having. As his groggy brain struggled to put two and two together, Sirius’ ears perked up at the sound of an aluminum container being carefully opened, and he suddenly realized the source of the odor. 

“James!” Sirius whispered frantically as he shot up in his seat with alarming speed and turned his attention to his messy-haired neighbor lounging haphazardly in the pod next to him, a little too tall to fit inside any plane comfortably. “I will murder you if you do not stop what you’re doing right now.”

James Potter widened his eyes comically and turned toward Sirius, as if surprised to see Sirius there. “Murder?!” James exclaimed as he continued to open his can of sardines. Inclining his head of short, messy black hair towards his friend, he spoke in a hushed voice full of mock concern, “Oh Sirius, you might not want to say the word ‘murder’ on a plane? I’ll have no choice but to turn your homicidal arse into air security, spark an emergency landing. I’m sure no one on board will mind too much.” 

“You wouldn’t.” Sirius fell back into a reclined position with his ankles crossed, feeling slightly defeated, as he wouldn’t put anything past his best friend— including him turning Sirius into air security for a laugh. “Can you please just hush and finish those sardines within the next 5 seconds.”

James raised his eyebrows at him, then shrugged as he nonchalantly popped a sardine into his mouth with a plastic airplane fork. “Yeah, you’d better not risk it,” he advised, chewing merrily until his voice suddenly turned grave and his mouth pulled into a firm line as he swallowed. “I don’t imagine that’s the type of publicity you’re going for this year, with your renewed image and all.” 

“Okay, but you’re vile, and frankly, I’m embarrassed to know you,” Sirius drawled in a voice still laced with sleep as he raised his lean arms up to clasp both hands behind his head, the left corner of his mouth turning up a bit against his will. He gave a relaxed yawn and stretched out his legs long before crossing his ankles once more, leveling James with a bored look.

“I’m vile because I enjoy a wonderfully healthy snack full of Omega-3 fatty acids?” James chimed pleasantly while he waved the sardine tin near Sirius’ face before eating another one, acting like it was the greatest thing he had ever tasted. “Silly me, I thought nutrition was important for athletes?”

A smile poked harder at Sirius’ lips now, but in response to the exaggerated look of pleasure on James’ face as he chewed in slow motion. Sirius closed his eyes to stop himself from laughing, and continued on, running a hand through his hair. 

“Right James, my disgust has nothing to do with the fact that 300 unfortunate people are enclosed in an airplane and have no choice but to smell canned fish.” Sirius’ voice carried on severely, at odds with his soft gaze and languid posture. “Have some remorse, mate, you just broke the first principle of airplane etiquette. This is right up there with grabbing all the headrests as you walk down the aisle, or --”, but Sirius stopped short when James released a graphicly loud series of moans as he finished chewing, then interjected loudly, 

“Sorry, Black, thoroughly enjoying my fatty acids and being healthy AF over here, can’t hear your naysaying.”

Sirius covered his face with a hand as his shoulders shook silently. He gathered control again with a big sigh and turned his eyes toward James again, but before he could respond, a woman passed by their seats, a look of disdain etched across her face as she made eye contact with James.

“Oh hello ma’am, would you like an autograph?” James asked cheerfully as he flashed the woman his brightest smile.

The woman stopped walking and turned around to face James again for a moment, her expression softening from disgust to confusion as her eyebrows pinched together. “I’m sorry, are you joking? I don’t know who you are?”

Sirius’ gaze darted back over to meet James’ again as he nearly choked with laughter at the woman’s absolutely perfect response. James wore a pleased smirk on his face as he stared at Sirius’ shaking form and unapologetically popped another sardine in his mouth, back to chewing happily without a care in the world as Sirius realized that the entire interaction with the woman was only intended to amuse Sirius and had gone exactly as James had planned. 

Sirius shot James a look of appreciation, still laughing silently as he turned to look out the window. A couple of moments passed as he looked down at the ocean below him. His expression must have turned pensive at some point because almost as if James had read the content of Sirius’ thoughts, he asked,“How are you feeling about competing without your parents around this year?” 

Sirius hummed wistfully as he turned his gaze back to James. “Fantastic, I think. Like a weight has been lifted and I don’t have to walk around on eggshells. Now I just have to worry about normal things that any normal boy worries about now, like winning gold medals!

James’ eyes were trained closely on Sirius’, watching carefully, but he laughed and spoke in a light tone, “Well, I certainly won’t miss them either. Your jackass alter ego came out whenever they were around. It was like there were two versions of you for a while, and you were always so fucking sneaky… like a sneaky little gollum in a leather jacket.” 

Sirius dropped his jaw in mock offense and brought his hand to his chest. “Well isn’t that rich coming from the guy who just sucked down a can of sardines and whose autograph nobody wants.” James made a goofy face as a retort, and Sirius continued, “And I know, Jamie, we can all agree that anyone who matters likes me better without the direct influence of Walburga and Orion. I mean, we are in a much better place than we used to be, but our relationship is clearly more functional with a lot of distance.”

“Absolutely right,” James affirmed, “You’ve transformed into a beautiful leather-clad butterfly all on your own.” James scooped his head down to catch Sirius’ downcast gaze, making sure his friend caught the joke, and when Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed a laugh, he tapped Sirius’ foot with his own and continued, “So have you heard from Regulus? Was he able to get time off to come to Sydney?”

“Oh, yeah.” Sirius chimed, his demeanor shifting into sunnier territory again. “Can’t believe I didn’t mention it already. He and Amanda are coming in for a week. I’ll have to check the schedule again, but I think they’ll be here for most of my events, although I’m sure they’ll want to go check out the art scene in Sydney too. Amanda mentioned there’s a visiting artist at one of the galleries she’s been dying to check out.” 

“On a related note,” Sirius continued, drawing out the last word hesitantly, “Are you going to be okay not having Lily and Harry there? I know that this will be the first time that Lily misses one of your games.”

James groaned and tossed his head back dramatically, voice straining as he answered, “I hate it already, Sirius. I hate being on the other side of the world from them. But it’s the last time it’s ever going to happen and I am absolutely not making my wife, who just gave birth a month ago, travel for nearly 30 hours with an infant.” James concluded with a sad little sigh, “Thank God for FaceTime.” 

“I’m sorry, Jamie. If it helps, you know I’ll be there for every game I can,” Sirius said with a small pout before lifting his eyebrows dramatically. “I’ll even jump in the pool after your team wins the gold and finally let you kiss me.”

“I appreciate the offer, Sirius, I really do. But,” James placed two fingers on his lips, as if trying to choose his next words carefully, “if four years ago was any indication, I’m not going to want your lips anywhere near my face. Because those lips...” James motioned his hand toward Sirius’ face, “were quite busy with many, many… many men.” Sirius opened his mouth with a defense, but James continued at a higher decibel. “Beautiful men, Sirius. Athletically gifted and lovely, and yes, good for you, mate, ‘you do you’ and all that. You’re desirable, you’re art, everyone loves you. Congratulations, you’re in magazines. But I will hold you under the water if you get frisky with me and you know I am stronger than you are.” 

Sirius blinked once slowly as he lifted his chin from his hand and said flatly, “You could have just said ‘You know, Sirius, I’m okay, but thanks for the kind and supportive offer’?”

James sucked in a breath through his teeth and replied, “Sorry, mate, but you know I am going to take any chance I can to remind you of your sneaky gollum-like coital escapades in Athens. I walked in on you enough times, in our shared room, to deserve that.” 

Sirius gave his head a taut shake and lifted his hand toward James in an incredulous gesture. “Can you not compare me to gollum when talking about my sex life, please? I was barely 21 and working through several years of sexual suppression. Give me some credit, you berk--”

James laughed as he cut back in, “You know I just like to give you a hard time. The next three weeks are going to be great.” Sirius hummed in agreement and laid his head back against the seat. 

James stared intently at Sirius, his lips forming into a sly smile, one which Sirius had become quite accustomed to seeing whenever his best friend was hit with a particularly clever idea. He chose to ignore it. “So Sirius--”

“Hmmm?” Sirius responded lazily, closing his eyes slowly as the monotonous sounds of the plane engine threatened to lull him back to sleep.

“Are you looking forward to seeing your American counterpart?” James said, enunciating the syllables of the last two words carefully.

Sirius was quiet for a moment. “Who?” he asked, opening one eye to look at James skeptically.

James tipped his head back on the headrest to mirror Sirius’ pose and offered mildly, “Oh you know, a certain star swimmer from the USA? America’s Sexiest Athlete? Your sworn enemy? Who also likes men? Ring any bells?”

Sirius responded with a strained sound, like a dog that had been wounded, and closed his eyes again, this time not out of sleepiness. “Remus ‘Perfect’ Lupin. Don’t remind me. I’ve done a great job of avoiding him and vice versa. I plan to keep that up.”

“Remus ‘Perfect’ Lupin?!” James said after barking a laugh of surprise. “Gonna need you to elaborate immediately.”

“Well he is, isn’t he? He’s basically me without all of my fuckups. Renowned swimmer, none of the public drama, none of the ego trips. He’s gay as well, but he has always been secure and open about it. Unlike yours truly, who if you don’t remember, James, was outed by a tabloid that posted pictures of me outside of a seedy club with my lips attached to some random guy’s neck. He’s extraordinarily successful, yet hasn’t let any of it turn him into a massive dick. All the news stories about him are focused on his good deeds, and, and--” Sirius stuttered for a moment, waving his hand around in the air and ignoring James’ incredulous expression, and continued after a beat, “and generally wholesome disposition. I’m sure I could open an American newspaper right now and read something along the lines of ‘Remus Lupin saves five orphan children from falling off a cliff, finds a loving family to adopt them, and then runs ten miles in less than an hour.’”

“Well the bloke is fit, I’ll give him that,” James threw in unhelpfully.

Sirius nodded once in James’ direction, giving credit where credit is due, as he continued on, “Let’s compare that to my media attention that usually centers around something horrible my relatives have said about me, or my sex life, or my shitty attitude. Or how about the incredibly lovely one where some journalist found my homeless doppleganger and wrote a story about how I had finally hit rock bottom, and deserved it too--”

“Ah yes, amazing how quickly you bounced back from your time living on the streets as a derelict,” James remarked as Sirius just blinked at him, ignoring the comment to instead continue on his diatribe.

Sirius sucked in a new breath and wiggled a little straighter, feeling his energy leveling up, “And James, to top it all off, as if this wasn’t all enough for one bloke to have under his belt, Remus can land a bloody, bloody painful punch. Like, what?” At that, Sirius put on a pensive frown and tossed his shoulders back animatedly, which sent James’ shoulders to quake in silent laughter; there was nothing James loved more than riling Sirius up for a rant, something about the combination of Sirius’ sporadic gestures paired with the posh, upper-class London accent he wore so well, attacking a topic until there was nothing left of it. “I’m sorry, does the bloke practice Muay Thai in all of his ‘free’ time when he isn’t winning gold medals and climbing mountains and fucking, like, fostering kittens?!” Sirius sputtered and threw up his hands incredulously. “Which reminds me, James, that yes he actually decked me. Because he hates me.”

James tempered his grin and turned to face him when Sirius’ tirade was abruptly replaced with silence. At seeing Sirius’ disgruntled expression, he dropped his hands loudly onto his lap and leaned forward. “Oh come on Sirius, you’re not giving yourself enough credit. You were an arsehole in your early twenties. Everyone is, in their own way, but you were a particularly big one, is all. But I also know better than anyone, maybe even you, that you were weeding through a bunch of shit in your personal life, trying to improve your toxic family relationships, all while competing at literally the highest level of athletics,” James said matter-of-factly as he swung a leg over to tap Sirius’ foot again supportively. James’ voice changed, imperceptibly except to Sirius, when he added, “You’re so much better off now than you were then, mate.”

Sirius hummed in acquiescence and tilted his head back up to meet James’ gaze again. “Yeah, very true, James. Another brilliant point.” 

“And Remus actually seems like a nice, reasonable bloke, if perhaps a bit… overly righteous and overly sensitive to your antics. If it bothers you so much and you want to clear the air with him, I’m sure he’d be open to that. It has been four whole years,” James said, wiggling four fingers up in front of his face to accentuate the point. He splayed the hand out and lifted it toward Sirius as a new thought hit him, “Plus, he is probably at least a little grateful that you didn’t get him suspended, you know. You could have reported that right hook and he’d be fucked.”

Sirius sighed a small laugh, eyes still trained on James. “That’s true.”

“And where’s this worrying even coming from? It’s weird, I don’t like it. Need I remind you of the woman I had to catch when she literally fainted when you spoke to her? You’re Britain’s favorite athlete, you prat. You’re the one who can somehow just pull out a guitar and ‘oh here, let me perfectly play this super difficult song after hearing it ONE TIME on the bloody radio.’ And how many gold medals do you have by the way?” Before Sirius could get a word out, James held up his hand. “Actually, do not answer that, it’s too annoying for a lowly bronze medalist such as myself to hear.” Sirius snorted as James logged that as a victory and kept on, “Buck up, mate. Don’t make me keep stroking your ego, I’m not doing it again. I’m fragile too, you know.” 

Sirius reached out to ruffle James’ hair. “It’s your year, Jamie. I can feel it. Captain James Potter is going to bring the gold back to Great Britain’s water polo team for the first time since 1920!”

James smiled brightly as he stretched his arms overhead, settling into the pod more comfortably. “That does sound lovely, doesn’t it?” James cooed in a dreamy tone.

“It’s going to happen,” Sirius asserted slowly, with the air of a wise fortune teller. He winked at James and grabbed for his headphones tucked against his side.

He listened to Pink Floyd sing about time and spent the next few minutes processing what James had said. One thing, of many, that he appreciated about him: it didn’t matter how often James had to repeat himself, he was always willing to tell Sirius what he needed hear, again and again, until it sunk in. As Gilmour’s guitar solo began, Sirius’ mind drifted to Remus and what he would say when they inevitably ran into each other over the next two weeks. Clearing the air didn’t seem like such a bad idea when James put it that way.


	2. Chapter 2

A sweaty Remus Lupin ambled through the front doors, arriving back from a long morning run that had offered his sore right shoulder a reprieve. He was sporting a well-worn blue ballcap he’d borrowed from his roommate, doing his best to tuck his wet curls beneath, hoping this would be an effective enough disguise for his quick rest stop in the crowded lobby. He rehydrated with a few long swigs from his Nalgene, poured a cup of complimentary coffee, and sank down into a nearby couch to cool off and relax.

Remus heard the two men before he actually saw them enter the building, their cheerful voices booming into the lobby. He swiftly turned his head toward the sound of the familiar British voices, suddenly grateful for the massive ficus plant that obscured him from view once he realized who the newcomers were, and felt his mouth turn down in recognition. He sunk a little lower into the couch for good measure, confident now that the only way he would be found out is if one of them decided to come water the plant — which, as Remus noted a little ruefully now that he was this close, seemed a little droopy. He uncapped his Nalgene and poured a stream into the pot, turning his attention furtively back to the guys.

Sirius Black and James Potter appeared far too lively considering what Remus figured must have been the end of at least 24 hours of travel -- the tornado of black hair and seemingly endless energy they always seemed to exude whenever Remus had seen them together, which although ultimately pretty rare during competitions, was memorable nonetheless. Sirius strolled in wearing his signature leather jacket and tight black jeans, eliciting a derisive snort from Remus, that quickly dissipated in the back of his throat as he craned his neck around the plant to keep them in eyesight. Sirius’ hair was tied back into a loose bun, and he was carrying — uh, a guitar case? — in one hand and a large duffle in the other. 

Remus’ eyes flitted then to James, who wore an ostentatious pair of boardshorts with a loud british flag printed on them and a matching tank top. On anyone else, the ensemble would have been ridiculous, but on James, Remus felt like it somehow worked, and he decided he would tell James that the next time he saw him without Sirius in tow. Sirius and James had entered the swimming scene at around the same time as Remus almost a decade ago. While he and Sirius had clashed immediately, James had always seemed like a solid, good-natured guy when they interacted in passing, and although Remus wasn’t very familiar with athletes from other teams, he had a good feeling about him — and Remus always trusted his intuition about people.

As the duo walked through the building’s glass doors and through the lobby toward the front desk, they were completely oblivious to the sea of stares that followed them, engaged in a boisterous debate about the most useful hypothetical magical ability -- Remus was just able to pick up that Sirius was expounding on the potential merits of being able to shapeshift into a dog on command, while James’ passionately argued for his theory that becoming invisible is clearly the most useful.

His eyebrows soon quirked up in curiosity when he caught the intensity of the conversation they were having, related to magic of all things, which as he watched them walk onward toward the front desk was escalating into a full-on showdown. Remus lifted his coffee to his lips, watching as James began whisper-shouting something at Sirius and motioning toward a dog asleep on its owner’s lap, before lifting his hands up like he was weighing two options.

Remus placed the mug back down on the arm of the couch and turned it around in his hand. He was a little surprised by the scene he was witnessing and couldn’t help but watch as Sirius threw his head back in joyful laughter -- the carefree tone was a stark contrast to the much more cynical laugh he had gotten to know years ago. 

Actually, the whole energy surrounding Sirius seemed to have become more... well, it was hard to say exactly. Sirius had always been attractive, no news there, but in all these years swimming against each other, his haughty demeanor had always irritated Remus at best and filled him with rage at worst. Remus had always figured that Sirius’ insane level of arrogance was a general sign of some deeper turmoil and dissatisfaction, as it always seemed to be in people, and that theory had turned out to be very true if the tabloids after Athens were to be believed. But that fiasco had taken place four years ago, and things had clearly shifted and settled down in Sirius’ life since then if his demeanor was any indication at all. 

After tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear while the receptionist looked down at her computer for a moment, Sirius abruptly whipped his head back to James and continued their debate at a more subdued volume, dramatically tapping off the fingers of his hand one by one to accentuate what must have been three additional points in his argument. He turned back toward the receptionist to accept their room keys, while James sighed in mock defeat. 

Remus wasn’t sure why he kept watching this fairly uninteresting scene, except out of intrigue. He shrugged and took another drink of coffee, averting his gaze toward a large, noisy group of athletes who had just walked in.

While the incident between them in Athens wasn’t something that he often spent time thinking about, Remus certainly hadn’t been looking forward to seeing Sirius again. Their altercation had come at the lowest point in Remus’ life, and if that wasn’t bad enough, it could have stripped Remus of his professional medals and gotten him suspended from his sport. But Remus was aware that Sirius had been through a thoroughly difficult few years since the last Olympics, and he had a shred compassion for the swimmer if only for that reason. He didn’t have to look hard to notice the endless onslaught of media news that shamelessly delved into Sirius’ private life, something he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy -- which, if Remus did have a worst enemy, the closest candidate would undoubtedly be Sirius, so he maybe didn’t feel that badly about it.

Remus and Sirius had only seen each other twice, both times at world championship swimming competitions, since Athens. The two men managed to never cross paths, despite competing in a few of the same races. It was like the universe was keeping them well apart by placing them at lanes at opposite ends of the pool, which he imagined Sirius was just as grateful for as he was. 

The first World championship competition had taken place only three weeks after the photos leaked of Sirius leaving the club, and while Sirius had physically shown up to the competition, he was not the same swimmer. He did not podium for any individual races, which was a shock to commentators and the other athletes he’d destroyed in past competitions, and he completely kept to himself outside of the pool.

When the second World championship came around two years later, something had clearly clicked back into place for Sirius. He dominated the competition, taking gold in all six events in which he competed, even outswimming Remus in two of them. While the unstoppable athlete Sirius Black had returned, he still continued not to engage with the other swimmers nor the media especially. His lack of friendliness toward the other swimmers wasn’t particularly surprising in and of itself, but it seemed like there was something else to his much more reserved new attitude. Remus assumed he was just enforcing a boundary to protect his private life for the time being and he’d become his obnoxious old self again eventually.

Sufficiently cooled off from his earlier run, Remus wrapped his hands around the warm, nearly-empty mug as he surveyed the rest of the athletes strolling into the lobby -- he recognized a few, but it was mostly new faces. It was about time he headed upstairs, but he figured he’d wait behind just a few more minutes to avoid recognition. His eyes somehow found their way back to Sirius, who was hiking the dufflebag more squarely across his shoulders and trailing closely behind James. 

They stopped at the elevators and Remus barely caught the song Sirius had started quietly singing while James rocked his hips as they waited, apparently having put their earlier spirited debate to rest and probably also feeling a little delirious from the very long plane ride. The song became recognizable once Sirius belted out a particularly electrifying guitar riff and James gyrated at him more aggressively and shouted “I’m back in blaaaaaack!” completely off-key. Remus lightly rolled his eyes and glanced away again when they entered the elevator and the doors shut, and he took that as his cue to follow suit and head back up to his own room.

Fifteen minutes later, Remus emerged from his post-run shower wearing a pair of Team USA sweatpants and found that his roommate, Caradoc, had made it back from breakfast. Caradoc looked up from the article he was reading on his phone on the bed and waved good-naturedly at Remus, who returned a goofy smile back. Caradoc was also a member the the US olympic swimming team and a close training partner of Remus’ back in the States. 

“How was breakfast?” Remus asked as he used a small towel to dry his hair haphazardly.

“Surprisingly great. I found this place about a half mile into downtown with some blueberry waffles that I would accurately describe as ‘orgasmic’.” Caradoc then gestured to the nightstand by Remus’ bed and added, “I brought you back an omelet the size of your face, thought I’d save you from the cafeteria today. Also grabbed you a coffee the place was serving -- single origin brew from Ethiopia.” 

Remus’ eyes lit up as he tucked a leg under himself and sat down on the bed, the delicious scent of black pour-over coffee wafting toward his nose. Then he opened the to-go box and audibly moaned as he took in the enormous vegetable omelet, a side of turkey bacon, and fresh fruit. “Caradoc, you’re a wizard.”

“Thanks, Rem. Could you please tell that to all the gorgeous lady olympians who surround us?” Caradoc lounged back across the bed on his forearms with his feet planted on the ground, whipping the shaggy blond hair out of his blue eyes.

Remus snorted as he chewed on a piece of pineapple. “I don’t think you need my help there. I already saw you swiping through Tinder -- seems like you have a lot of options.”

Caradoc’s smile softened and he got a faraway look in his eye. “Yeah... I can’t wait to bump into Marlene at Opening Ceremonies tonight.” Marlene McKinnon was an Australian volleyball player that Caradoc could not shut up about during their entire hike through Desolation Wilderness a few weeks back. 

“I’m rooting for you, man.” He scooped a slice of avocado onto his fork and hummed for a moment in exalted appreciation before popping it into his mouth. “Meanwhile, this omelet is everything I ever wanted.”

“Glad it’s hitting the spot. How was your run this morning?” 

Remus shrugged and picked up a slice of turkey bacon, turning it around in his fingers, carefully deciding which end to eat first. “Fine. Nothing spectacular, just jogged around the village.”

“Does Coach know you’re running?” Caradoc asked in a mischievous tone.

“No,” Remus said defiantly. He narrowed his eyes and pointed his bacon at Caradoc. “And you are not going to tell him.” 

Caradoc made a sound of agreement and flopped back on the bed.

Remus chewed for a few moments and then straightened up suddenly, realizing he had news that he had not yet told his teammate. “Guess who I saw in the lobby.”

“Sweet Marlene?” Caradoc asked dreamily towards the ceiling. 

“Sirius Black.”

Caradoc’s eyes widened as he shot back up to a seated position. “He’s staying in the same building?” Remus nodded in answer and Caradoc continued eagerly, “How did he look?” 

Remus searched for the right words. “Obsessed with leather,” he started, and continued more seriously after a beat of thought, “Confident. Relaxed.”

“Damn. I hate to say it, but I was kind of hoping for Sirius Black circa three years ago.” Unlike Remus, Caradoc and Sirius competed in nearly all of the same events. They both specialized in butterfly stroke and had a history of narrowly stealing the gold from each other. 

“If he shows up like he did at Worlds last year, I’m screwed.” Caradoc looked forlorn at the memory of Sirius dominating all six events in which he competed.

“Don’t be stupid,” Remus laughed as he poked at his omelet. “You’ve edged him out before. Plus we have relay. And Caradoc,” Remus leveled at him with a raised eyebrow, “If you can get Marlene McKinnon to match with you on Tinder, pretty sure you can swim against Sirius Black.” 

Caradoc cackled, rubbing at the back of his tanned neck. He paused thoughtfully for a few moments before asking, “So what do you think his deal is now? He got so quiet after everyone found out that he’s, you know…” Caradoc motioned towards Remus, who looked at him incredulously.

“Gay, Caradoc.”

“Yeah, that.” 

Remus burst out laughing and flung a grape at him, hitting him right above the eye. “It’s not a bad word, you idiot. And I don’t know. In the lobby, he seemed a lot happier than he was at Worlds. Annoying and showy, but happy. Seemed like his personality has come back, but at the same time, he came off a lot less.... I don’t know… negative than before?” He looked up as Caradoc retrieved the grape that had gotten lost in the folds of his sweatshirt hood and popped it in his mouth, eyes trained on Remus’ face while he waited for him to elaborate. 

“It’s hard to say since we didn’t interact directly, I just kind of saw him as he passed through with James Potter. But now that he is crushing it in competition, I wouldn’t be that surprised if he started acting out to get into the spotlight again. Badgering the other swimmers as usual, that sort of thing.” Remus picked absently at a thread coming loose from the embroidered USA on his sweatpants.

Remus had told very few people about his blowup with Sirius in Athens, mostly because he felt awkward and a little ashamed about it -- it wasn’t something that just came up naturally in conversation. As far as Caradoc knew, Sirius was just another competitor that Remus didn’t particularly care for. 

Caradoc watched Remus carefully for a few long moments and then shrugged, apparently satisfied with Remus’ status update on his main rival and tapped the bed rhythmically with his hands. “Well, we’ll find out about him soon enough. Oh hey, speaking of which, what time do the Opening Ceremonies start tonight again?”

Remus had stood up and was in the middle of a long overhead stretch. “We have to be there by six I think.” 

He dropped his arms loosely to his side and leaned down to the table to take a swig of coffee. As he swallowed, he pointed at the cup with a wide-eyes and nodded slowly at Caradoc. 

“Isn’t it good?” 

Remus made a sound of agreement as he returned the cup to the table and continued, “My mom and Peter are going to land in Sydney around then, so hopefully they’ll make it to the stadium by the time it starts.”

“Ah, yes. First live Opening Ceremony for the Lupin fan club?” Caradoc asked.

“Yeah, and they don’t want to miss a second of it. Mom had intended to watch from home during Athens, but dad was having such a hard time even keeping food down that morning, she didn’t really catch much. Of course, the entire Olympics was a really rough time for her,” Remus finished, walking his empty breakfast container over to the bin. 

“No shit, Rem. For you too.” Caradoc said. He was silent for a beat as he likely recalled how chaotic it had been four years ago. Caradoc had been the one to pack up Remus’ bag for him when he had to suddenly catch a last-minute flight back home to Tahoe. The next time they had seen each other was back at home at his father’s funeral.

Caradoc furrowed his brow before glancing up back up, “Remind me, your first event is tomorrow?”

Remus turned to dig through a dresser drawer and quickly pulled out the shirt he was looking for. “Yep! The medley. Heats are in the morning, finals in the afternoon.” His last few words were muffled as he pulled the blue short-sleeved shirt over his head. He came back around and dropped onto the bed again, back against the headboard and ankles crossed relaxedly.

“And you’re the defending gold medalist,” Caradoc mused, “ I can’t wait to see you bring it on home to the USA again.”

Remus cleared his throat vaguely in response, absently turning the half-empty paper cup of coffee in a circle on the bedside table. “I think you’re forgetting that Black crushed me at Worlds. Edged me out by a second and a half, it was brutal.”

“But Remus,” Caradoc started sincerely, “Don’t ever forget that you are America’s sexiest olympian. And that’s something that Sirius Black can never take away from you.”

Remus shot Caradoc a deadly glare, brought a pillow over his face, and released a muted whine. “Can we please NOT with the fucking magazine references,” Remus groaned through the thick pillow, ignoring Caradoc’s laughter.

*****

“Why do they make us get here by six o’clock if we don’t even march in until eight?” James complained with the indignation of a tired five-year-old as he and Sirius stood in the designated area for Great Britain. 

Athletes were beginning to congregate under a couple of massive, well-organized tents outside of the stadium -- there were expected to be 3,000 athletes participating in the Parade of Nations during the Opening Ceremonies, and by the time that 6:45 rolled around, the area under the tents was teeming with athletes from every country. The weather under the tents was a pleasant 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the sky above stadium was slowly darkening as the sun began to set.

“To spy on the competition, Jamie-boy. Learn what makes them tick.” Sirius said as he set his hands on James’ shoulders and leaned in, enunciating the last word into his ear. “Constant vigilance.” 

“Indeed.” James was silent for a few moments, then spun towards Sirius and continued on with newfound purpose, “Okay then, let’s get a feel for who we’re dealing with. A psychological exercise, if you will,” James said as his eyes narrowed and roamed the stadium, then inclined his head toward Sirius. “If you had to assign each of these athletes a fruit,” he circled his hand out toward the crowd, “what fruits would they be?” 

Sirius turned to level James with an awestruck look, as if this were the most important question he’d ever been asked and he wasn’t ready for the responsibility.

“I’ve been patiently waiting for the day you’d ask this question, and it’s finally here,” Sirius said, now mirroring James who was back to scanning the crowd. His eyes settled on a figure to his left. “Over there, we have Dee Meadowes, Great Britain’s star triathlete.” Sirius gestured exuberantly at the tall blonde woman standing no more than five feet away from them and cleared his throat. She’d turned her head toward them slightly as she registered her name being spoken, then seemed to give up on that and turned back around. Sirius took this as his cue to continue, “Dee is tall and blond, so the obvious answer here would be a banana.”

“But she’s not a banana, I take it?” James responded, pursing his lips in a pensive expression.

“No, James, we’re not going for obvious here, we’re going for insightful. A banana is inherently guarded, defensive. It has a protective rind one tears off in order to get to the fruit. Bruises easily, doesn’t have much structural integrity to it. The correct answer of course is that Dee is a star fruit.” Sirius concluded matter-of-factly, crossing his arms in conclusion. 

“Oh please elaborate, Sirius.” James crossed his arms as well, lifting one hand to cup his chin as he looked at Dee.

Sirius took a deep breath and launched into a defense of his Dee-as-a-star-fruit thesis. “A star fruit is, first of all, adorable. Like Dee. But even more noteworthy, a star fruit can be eaten as-is. No need to peel it or fuss with it; it’s a low-maintenance sort of fruit in that way. Furthermore, while a star fruit is exotic and unusual, it’s also generally well-liked and has an accessible flavor. Pretty sure no one has ever said ‘ew, get this star fruit out of my tropical cocktail.’ Dee here,” Sirius turned his gaze back over to Dee and held up his arms in a gesture that channeled Vanna White, “is also a unique and special being who is, at the same time, just a joy to be around. Which is a rare thing because usually people have shitty traits you have to tolerate in addition to the good. Like me, for example,” Sirius placed a hand against his chest. “I am not a star fruit. Because despite my charming personality and star-inspired name, I will pick all of the cashews out of a bag of trail mix and leave you with none every time, and I simply don’t feel bad about it.” 

“Wow, Sirius,” Dee remarked, turning around in a complete 180 to look at Sirius directly, “That was a much sweeter and more thoughtful answer than I expected when I overheard you were comparing me to a fruit.”

“Mhm,” Sirius acknowledged her with gentle tilt of his head.

“He’s a poet, this one,” James admitted with admiration. “So who is next? How about…” James inclined his head now toward a very petite, dark-skinned woman walking by just then. “Her. The American gymnast, Mary McDonald.”

“What a challenge, Jamie! An athlete from a different team. Well this is a bit more difficult because I’ve never met Mary before, so I cannot accurately incorporate her personality into the analysis. So let’s use what we do know about her. She is strong as hell, and disciplined. Practicing those gymnastics and tumbling moves for the first time has got to be terrifying, I mean, what if you fall on your neck? Takes guts. Furthermore, she is graceful and can do a lot of different kinds of... flip things.”

“Well said.” James supplied.

“Mary is... a…” James used his fingers to imitate a drumroll on Sirius’ shoulder as he hummed in contemplation, “she is a coconut.”

“Ah-ha!” James exclaimed.

“Coconuts are strong and resilient, extremely versatile because they work in a huge variety of cuisines and dishes, and they have a very smooth mouthfeel, akin to the smooth grace with which Mary executes her craft,” Sirius offered.

James looked into Sirius’ eyes and began a slow clap.

Sirius took the imaginary hat off his head and bowed. “Okay, James. Your turn. What fruit is…”, Sirius looked around and pointed to a man with short, black hair standing in the British section, his back facing them. “That guy.” 

James turned his attention over to the man that Sirius was pointing to and after a moment of consideration, a look of recognition swept across his face. “Sirius…” James turned to Sirius with an amused expression, “isn’t that the guy you met at a bar in Athens? The sexy equestrian?”

Sirius’ head whipped back in an instant to consider the man again. He shut his eyes tightly and bit his lip, then commented through a grimace, “You’re right, how did you figure that out before I did?”

“That’s the one that you--”, James started.

“Uh huh,” Sirius cut in quickly.

“—shagged in the bathroom of that bar, right?”

Sirius leveled James with a blank stare. “Yes, James. Yes. Thank you for completing that sentence.” He said flatly.

But at that moment, all thoughts of people characterized as fruit and romantic bar-bathroom escapades were lost as two broad-shouldered, smiling men, also wearing Great Britain attire, approached them. “Captain!” They yelled with gusto at James. 

The men were clearly twins, the only real physical difference between the two the shades of their auburn hair. Despite the fact that James and Sirius both stood around six foot three, these two men towered above them. 

“Hey there, you giant couple of mangos! How was your trip in?” James asked as he embraced each of them separately, a huge grin lighting up his face. Their expressions screwed up with confusion for a moment at the unusual question, but they went with it nonetheless. This wasn’t so out of the ordinary, all things James has ever said to them considered.

“Long and cramped. I’m glad that we have a free week to recover before our first game. That trip is a bloody awful, especially in economy.” The darker-haired twin offered.

“Right. Is it too much to ask that people who are 6’6” automatically get a little more leg room? Doesn’t being one of the greatest athletes in the world at least earn us that?” The lighter haired twin tacked on, looking over at his brother and then back to James incredulously.

James held his tongue and sent Sirius a brief look which he interpreted as “please, Sirius, for the love of god do not tell them we flew first class”. Sirius had signed on for a few (very) lucrative advertising campaigns when his swim career was just taking off, even turning down a couple of longer term modeling contracts, he had more than enough financially, not counting the new partnerships that had been rolling back in since last year’s Worlds, and he liked to take advantage of every single opportunity to make life a little bit sweeter for James. So, two first class international tickets it was.

Sirius laughed and shook the twins’ hands in greeting. “Right, being an Olympian seems more glamorous than it actually is.”

“Oi, sorry guys, I’m being rude. You remember my best friend and athlete slash model, Sirius? Sirius, Gideon and Fabian.” James appeared to purposefully ignored Sirius’ deadpan stare as he gestured over to each twin to reintroduce them. Gideon had the slightly darker shade of auburn hair. 

“Yeah, of course,” Fabian quipped merrily. “You’re probably the most recognizable athlete here, Black.”

“Ah, yeah,” Sirius huffed as he carded his fingers through his hair, needing something to do with his hands. A moment later, another several members of the water polo team approached, clapping James on the back and greeting each other like old war buddies. Thinking it best to allow the teammates some time to catch up, Sirius leaned over and murmured to James, “I’m going to grab some water and try to find the rest of the swimmers,” nodding towards the twins with a quick goodbye, and wandered away.

Sirius decided to head for the next tent over, surveying the rest of the teams mulling about. The bright red uniforms of the Chinese team caught his attention as he continued strolling ahead toward a table of water bottles. He bobbed his head around looking for their strongest swimmer who’d been hearing about recently, but his search was cut short when he walked right into someone’s back. 

“Fuck, sorry! I wasn’t--” Sirius’ stopped short when the man turned around, and he realized he was standing practically nose-to-nose with Remus Lupin, whose already wide eyes were even rounder with surprise. “Remus. Sorry, promise I didn’t do that on purpose, mate.” Sirius stuck his hands in his pockets and backed up a step, unable to break eye contact now that he’d found it. He noticed that Remus seemed to be frozen in place, a blank look coming over his face as he took Sirius in.

It had been four years since Sirius had really, actually, legitimately looked at Remus. During the last Worlds competitions, they’d completely avoided interaction, even during the races in which they competed against each other, which was a true feat. Sirius had always compared the two of them to magnets of the same charge, hovering around one another in the cramped throngs of athletes circulating the locker room and pool, but always miraculously slipping away when the other approached. 

Remus’ face still fit Sirius’ general memory of him -- the dark eyes, long nose, high cheekbones -- but it had been a long while since he was seeing his features this close. His eyes were actually a rich amber adorned with tiny specks of gold, but Sirius forced himself to break eye contact. Right now, Remus’ eyes were hardened by a look of vague annoyance that he was clearly trying to temper. 

“Hey, it’s totally fine.” Remus’ tone was flat, but still civil, much to Sirius’ relief. He brought his left hand up to massage at his right shoulder, almost cradling it as if were bothering him. “We were bound to run into each other at some point.” He added, his voice becoming slightly colder.

“I suppose.” Sirius answered, feeling his body begin to sway back and forth in response to the awkwardness. “Is, uh, your shoulder alright there?”

Remus raised his eyebrows slowly, as if Sirius had just asked something in another language, and he sighed with immediate regret for having said anything to make conversation. “Don’t worry about it, Black. It won’t affect my stroke.” 

“Right.” Sirius responded, starting to match Remus’ curt tone as he turned back towards the water station. “Well, apologies again, Remus. Enjoy the ceremonies.”


	3. Chapter 3

Sirius arrived at the pool a couple of hours early to warm up before the first heat of the individual medley. The individual medley was one of his favorites, both because he enjoyed the event’s variety and even moreso because he was fucking good at it. This had been one of events in which he’d PR’d during Worlds, and he felt confident he’d perform at least as well today. As the chorus of Gimme Shelter began to play through his underwater earbuds, he launched off the wall and transitioned from freestyle to butterfly.

His body darted through the water at a mellow pace, and Sirius let his mind wander. So much about his experience of competition had evolved since those first games -- his relationship with his parents, his public image, his overall awareness of self. After thirty minutes of warming up, Sirius got out of the practice pool and made his way back to the locker room. 

Thanks to his solid qualifying time, he was placed in the final heat of the morning which meant that he could observe the other competitors’ performance before deciding how much he needed to push himself. He wanted to put in just the right amount of effort into the heat so as not to unnecessarily tax his muscles before the finals. 

Sirius found a quiet corner, sat down on the floor, and put his ear buds in, about to start his pre-race meditation. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply and envisioning the individual medley in his mind: butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke, freestyle. He would easily pull ahead in the first leg of the race, and his breaststroke was strong enough to maintain the lead. Backstroke would be his only potential problem with Remus in the race against him, making the size of his lead from butterfly that much more important. Freestyle was always an all-out adrenaline-filled fight to the finish, which Sirius loved.

He took one last deep breath in, feeling his lungs expand to full capacity, and released a long exhale. Opening his eyes, Sirius checked his watch and noted that twenty minutes had passed; it was time to head towards the pool. After stowing away his headphones, he exited the locker room into the competition pool area. He let his eyes sweep the crowded stands, heart swelling when he caught his younger brother’s similar but darker gray eyes in the stands. 

The fact that Regulus and his fiancee, Amanda, had flown to Sydney for the games meant the absolute world to him. He caught sight of another set of familiar faces, the Potters, who had arrived early to make sure they could be there to watch all of Sirius’ races and cheer him on. Sirius was never able to relate to his teammates excitement about having family in the audience until this moment, and he had never felt so motivated to make them proud -- out of love, rather than duty.

A few minutes prior to the heat’s start, Sirius took his place at his lane. He brought his left arm up into a deep elbow stretch, rubbing at his his bicep to warm up the muscle before switching to the right, while his eyes scanned his surroundings slowly to take in the other swimmers in his heat. 

It had barely crossed his mind that Remus was competing in the same heat as him, and only two lanes away. Sirius noticed that Remus had caught sight of someone in the stands and waved two hands at them, face relaxed in an open-mouthed smile, before turning his attention to the pool. While Sirius finished adjusting his swim cap over the tight bun near the top of his head, his gaze lingered in Remus’ direction as the swimmer guided his body into the water to acclimate to the pool’s temperature.

Sirius looked away, but when Remus pulled himself back out of the pool, Sirius’ eyes found their way back to him again — and to his hip muscles that drew downward into a V, practically the signature of any professional swimmer. Apart from Remus’ musculature, something else had captured Sirius’ attention unexpectedly, mostly because Remus just didn’t seem like the type. Sirius was intrigued to see the curve of a black line peeking out above the waistband of Remus’ shorts, near his right hip bone. Sirius looked away and finished tucking a few stray black locks up into the swimcap.

When the swimmers were instructed to take their places, Sirius gave his head a rough shake and pushed Remus’ tattoo far from his mind as he stepped onto his diving block. By the time the three-second warning sounded, his head was clear and focused, and all that existed was the lane of crystal blue in front of him.

*****

Remus breathed in the familiar scent of his mother’s lavender shampoo as he bent down to embrace her. She had the energy of a hummingbird and was practically jumping up and down in his arms, her lean frame wrapped in her quintessential teal nano-puff jacket.

“Remus, this is amazing!” Hope Lupin exclaimed, arms still latched around his neck as if this was the first time that she had seen her son in years, as opposed to the week that it had actually been since Remus left for Sydney.

“I’m so glad you both get to see it all in person this year,” Remus responded sincerely. He pulled out of his mother’s arms and turned his attention to his best friend Peter, hugging him enthusiastically. “Did you guys have trouble getting into the Olympic Village?”

“Nah, I think the worst part was all the information we had to submit last week. They already had us on the visitor’s list when we arrived.” Peter answered, coming out of the embrace, his eyes scanning the Olympic Village as he spoke. “So this is where the greatest athletes in the world hang out?”

“Yeah, come on, I’ll give you guys a quick tour on the way to the cafeteria.” Remus started walking in that direction and Hope and Peter fell in line; he was feeling blissful that the two most important people in his life were there with him, and even if the races didn’t go as well as he hoped, it would still be an infinitely better experience than Athens.

After Remus pointed out a building where some of the athletes were staying, Hope hummed in acknowledgement and turned to face him. “Honey, when do you have to be back to the Aquatic Center? As much as I love this, I would hate myself if I messed up your focus or made you late.” 

“Oh no, Mom. There are nearly seven hours between the heats and the medal race, I still have almost four hours until my race,” he offered as he swung open the cafeteria door and ushered Peter and his mother inside the building. “I can grab lunch, and then get back in a couple hours. That will give me more than enough time to meet with my coach and warm up.” He affectionately squeezed his mother’s shoulder and led them over to a plethora of food options. 

“So how did you like the Opening Ceremonies?” Remus asked as the three of them found a table and set their plates down to eat, Hope sitting next to Remus and Peter across the table from them. 

Peter responded enthusiastically through a mouthful of chicken, “Remus it was incredible.” Hope nodded her head in agreement, eyes wide. “It’s so much better than watching it on TV.” 

“Oh and we sat next to the nicest couple from Switzerland, Remus.” Hope turned to face him with a proud expression. “And you’ll never guess who their favorite swimmer is.” 

Remus suppressed an eye roll and smiled affectionately at his mom as he took a bite of grilled chicken and hummus. He was uncomfortable with doting of any sort, but he promised himself he’d let his mother dote to her heart’s content in Sydney if that made her happy. “Was it Caradoc? Maybe I can convince him to give them an autograph.”

Hope lightly swatted Remus’ shoulder as Peter continued to talk about the Opening Ceremonies. “But really, Rem. The fireworks before the athletes came out were spectacular. And also, it doesn’t hurt that I got to shout to anyone that would listen that my best friend is the best swimmer here. I got into a brief yelling match with some snobby Brit who made some comment about that prat Sirius Black. Said he was going to steal the show with six gold medals this year or something. But don’t worry Rem, I defended your honor.” Remus felt a simultaneous surge of immense embarrassment and gratitude for his best friend. Despite Peter’s shorter stature, he had always been protective.

“Thanks Pete.” Remus chuckled with amusement before clearing his throat and continuing on with a cautionary tone. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if Sirius does get those six gold medals. You guys saw him this morning -- he crushed the heat and he’s been setting all kinds of records lately. I expect the finals tonight will be the same, unless I can miraculously improve my butterfly stroke by three seconds.” Remus wasn’t exaggerating. Sirius had crushed the heat that day, and that was just the heat; it was unlikely he had used maximum effort yet.

“Whatever, he’s a dick.” Peter proclaimed definitively, raising a hand up to conclude the matter, as if that fact would prevent Sirius from going on to win gold medals. “If he makes some more snotty comments to you this year, I completely support another punch to his face. Break his nose this time.” 

“Peter! Stop encouraging my son to throw his swimming career out the window!” Hope cut Peter off and sent him a glare that immediately shut him up on that subject. Her expression slightly softened as she continued. “But I appreciate your loyalty, dear. I am not particularly fond of him either. I mean, what kind of an athlete has hair that long?! Isn’t it inconvenient?”

“Exactly!” Peter proclaimed, throwing his arms in front of him incredulously, eyes locked with Hope’s in mutual disdain. “Necessary for those modeling gigs, I guess. I feel like I see his face every time I turn around.”

Remus moved a curl out of his eyes and took a sip of water, trying to suppress the fact that of all the things he did dislike about Sirius, his hair was certainly not one of them. “Don’t talk so loudly.” Remus flicked a hand out, gesturing at the room around them that was bustling with athletes.

“Sorry honey, we’re just protective.” Hope said quietly as she patted Remus’ hand. Peter trained his gaze on Remus for a few moments before bookmarking that for later and scanning the occupants of the room around him.

“This is crazy. Do you know who all these athletes are?” Peter asked as Remus took another bite of rice and lifted his gaze toward the tables in front of them. 

“Hm, I know a lot of the Americans. And I know a lot of the swimmers, especially the ones who have been around for a while. But other than that, I only recognize the really famous ones that you would recognize too.” 

At that moment, Peter’s wide eyes locked on a tall blonde woman in a white tracksuit who had just entered the cafeteria. “What about her? Please tell me you know her and can introduce me.” 

“Sorry bud,” Remus snorted as he stood up to gather the three empty plates at their table. “No clue.” Hope and Peter took Remus’ cue and headed toward the exit with him. 

“Remus, I’m so proud of you.” Hope took Remus’ hand as soon as they got outside of the building. “This is incredible, I just wish your dad could have seen it all.” 

Remus pulled his mom in for a hug and held her for a while. “I know Mom, he would have loved it.” He leaned back out of the hug, still holding onto her hands, and gave then a small squeeze. “But I have you here this year, and that counts for a lot.”

Hope gave a small laugh as she wiped tears from her eyes. “I shouldn’t be crying right now, you have a race in a couple of hours! Don’t worry about me, honey, I just miss him.” Remus pulled his mom in for one more hug, completely understanding the bittersweet emotions that she was feeling at that moment. 

“Well my race should start around seven o’clock tonight so you guys should do some exploring or shopping before then, no need to get there early just because I need to. Do you know the way back to the Aquatic Center’s spectator entrance?” 

“We got it Rem, don’t worry about us.” Peter assured him as he pat Remus on the back. “Good luck out there, we’ll be screaming for you, especially this one.” Peter gestured his thumb in Hope’s direction. “I practically need earplugs standing next to her while you’re swimming.” 

“I will not apologize for being excited that my son is the greatest thing to ever happen to American sports.” Hope proclaimed indignantly. 

Remus laughed and turned around to walk to the Aquatic Center, relieved to see that he still have two hours until his race was set to begin. Minutes later, he entered the arena and immediately felt a sense of excitement as the familiar scent of chlorine filled his nose. He smiled and made a beeline over to his team, ready to check in with his physical therapist before beginning his warm-up routine.

Hours later, Remus hurriedly changed into his USA uniform in preparation for the medal ceremony, still coming down from the energy of the final. He was overheated in the zip-up jacket and navy track pants but didn’t have time to notice that fact before his fellow USA swimmers practically mowed him down. 

“Way to fucking go, Lupin!” came a familiar voice emitted from a head of golden hair. Remus’ face was buried in Caradoc’s shoulder as he returned a muffled “Thanks, guys!” 

“Guess Sirius and his deadly butterfly are really back,” Caradoc said uneasily as they pulled away from the hug, Remus nodding with a breathy laugh of agreement. Caradoc released him from the hug and grabbed hold of him by both shoulders for a moment, “Hey, I’ll catch you after, Remus. Go bask in the glory of bringing home our first medal of the games, you beast.” Remus smiled at his friend, a little lost for words in his characteristic shyness, as Caradoc corralled the rest of the team away.

Remus rounded the corner and saw Sirius standing in his navy, red, and white Great Britain uniform near the exit door of the locker room foyer, half a dozen swimmers hovered around him. They were clapping him on the back and offering a frenzied stream of congratulations and utterances of disbelief about his time. Sirius wore a gracious smile, until a handful of fellow Great Britain swimmers came sprinting past Remus, and Sirius’ smile widened into a mad grin when they enveloped him in bone-crushing hugs -- they had practically bowled him over, as Remus’ teammates had almost done to him not a minute earlier. Sirius made eye contact with Remus as one of the swimmers released him. Through a cheery laugh, he told his teammates he needed to run before he ducked and walked a few steps toward Remus. 

Sirius greeted him with a smile playing on his lips, gray eyes clear and piercing. “Incredible race, Remus, I could practically feel you breathing down my neck,” he said sincerely, offering out a hand toward Remus’. 

Remus’ eyebrows raised with apprehension as he looked down at the offered hand in front of him. Being forced to make amends on someone else’s terms was not something that he warmed to.

“I’m not really interested in whatever you’re trying to do right now, Black.” Remus supplied evenly, and vaguely hoping that he wasn’t coming off as a sore loser as the last syllable fell harshly from his lips.

To his surprise, instead of inspiring anger, Sirius’ mouth quirked up into an amused smirk, reminding Remus that the snarky asshole he had been four years ago hadn’t completely disappeared. Remus nearly huffed out a curse at the fact that the man could be so obnoxious and yet so appealing at the same time.

“Jesus, Remus,” Sirius started, his voice noticeably sweeter than it had been moments ago, almost as if it were a mask, “I’m just trying to make amends here. We have a little tiff four years ago and you’re still going to be a little bitch about it? Need I remind you that you’re the one that decked me in the face?”

Remus felt a rush of adrenaline through his veins, his anger rising in a way that only this man seemed to be capable of producing. All because of Sirius Black. Sirius fucking Black, who even when he was being kind still elicited this kind of physiological response from him, for some reason that he was not willing to delve into yet. He felt Sirius’ eyes lingering on his face, waiting for a reaction, and decided to do anything to prevent that from happening. Remus closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and plastered a smile on his face.

“Congratulations to you too, Sirius.” He remarked with a feigned enthusiasm that was dripping with disgust. Sirius shook his head and released a gravelly laugh in response, and rolled his eyes. 

“Look Remus, I’m not trying to pull anything on you, just trying to be civil. Like I always should have been.” Sirius shrugged and directed a small smile at Remus, before hearing the announcer’s voice sounding and steeled himself for a moment. He reached up and pulled at the elastic band holding his bun in place and wet black hair cascaded down just past his shoulders, then looked back at Remus. “See you out there, mate,” Sirius said as he ran a hand through his hair, and his shoulder brushed against Remus’ as he glided past.

*****

Sirius had draped himself across the bed like a cat when James entered their room, carrying dinner in a paper bag. “Four giant breakfast burritos,” he sing-songed two octaves higher than his normal voice, pushing the door closed with the heel of his sneaker, “the only post-win dinner choice, really. And I may have brought back dessert too.”

“How did I get so lucky?” Sirius mused at James as he handed him his two foil-wrapped burritos. 

“‘When did Great Britain’s swim team get so lucky to have Sirius Black bring home piles of gold medals and make this country look so good’, is the real question of the night”, James corrected as he settled heavily into the oversized sofa chair chair across from the bed as he began unwrapping the foil. Sirius’ head perked up a moment later and James must have read his mind as usual, for he leaned over the arm of the chair to reach into the bag and tossed a packet of hot sauce at Sirius.

“Talk to me,” James managed through a huge mouthful. “How are things? Haven’t had a chance to catch up with you one-to-one since we got here.”

Sirius lolled his head and trained his eyes on a pattern in the wallpaper while he considered the question. He swallowed his bite, then answered, “Well, after I left you and your teammates yesterday during Opening Ceremony, I went around to check out the other teams, right? I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and I literally -- and I mean literally, James -- ran smack into Remus’ back.” James snorted loudly as he glanced up at Sirius with high eyebrows. “First time we’ve so much as said a word to each other since Athens, obviously.” Sirius finished.

James urged him on, burrito suspended an inch from his mouth. “Wait, it does logically follow that you’d then go on to speak and hold a conversation. What’d you guys talk about? How was he?”

“He was very cold. And I was freaked out when I realized who it was I’d run into. Was concerned he’d think I did it on purpose or something, you know. Seems like he probably did think that but he wasn’t completely rude. Very guarded. I think we both wanted to get out of each other’s presence as quickly as possible.”

James hummed a contemplative sound and set to unwrapping his second burrito. He paused a moment, eyes trained directly on Sirius’ face, elongating his next word. “So. What else?” James asked open-endedly, then took a bite.

Sirius cleared his throat and replied, “Not all that much. Oh, apparently he has a new tattoo, noticed it before the race started.” James raised his eyebrows but said nothing as Sirius continued. “And we connected again in the locker room before the medal ceremony for a second. I think I even managed to soften him up just the slightest bit, pulled the stick out of his arse an inch— the one that only exists when I’m around, apparently. I congratulated him on his medal and he was a prick at first, wouldn’t shake my hand. But I disarmed him and then he just looked kind of confused. I’d call that a victory, yeah?” 

James nodded contemplatively, eyes locked on Sirius’, as Sirius rubbed at his wrist absently, a smile forming on his face as he fondly recalled their earlier interaction. Sirius’ voice wandered back, “He’s such a little priss. A stupid little priss with a stupidly perfect arse.”

“Well I asked you to catch me up on what’s been going on with you, and so far you’ve mentioned two interactions with Remus and one new tattoo on said very fit American that you noticed. And a comment about his ‘perfect arse.’” James commented in a tone of voice that suggested he found this fact interesting.

Sirius released a sarcastic ha-ha, then continued seriously, “Well, the race today was incredible. Having your parents and my brother in the stands today was just... I was at a level of focus I’ve actually never experienced before and ended up PRing on this event, second time in a row.” At that, James smacked the arm of the chair loudly in triumph, apparently deciding to allow Sirius’ deflection.

“I can’t say I’m surprised! It’s as we thought, you’re a new person without those stodgy old vampires sucking your life away. I’m so proud of you, mate.” James gave a loud stretch and sprawled horizontally across the chair, head resting on the arm in post-burrito bliss. He seemed to remember something a moment later, and he reached back into the brown paper bag that had held their burritos.

Sirius had balled up the foil wrappers in one hand and was already sprawled on the bed again. “Dessert?” He asked the ceiling, when he heard James rummaging through the bag.

“Mhm,” James replied, eyeing the magazine cover pensively for a few moments before his features rearranged into a look of satisfaction. “I brought you back a juicy peach”.

“Huh?” Sirius said, as he lifted his head off the bed an inch to level James with a bemused expression, having expected to hear churros, or flan, or something a little more logical relative to the genre of dinner. James glanced up innocently from the magazine he was holding and turned it around so the cover faced Sirius in full. 

“Yep, a peach.” James flung his legs around so that his feet were firmly planted on the floor as he leaned forward and launched into an explanation, hand pointing didactically toward the tanned athlete gracing the cover. “Remus Lupin is a peach. As we know, he is the sweetheart of the swim world. Sweet and classic and accessible, like the American peach. But don’t let the soft, approachable exterior fool you, oh no --” James thumbed through the issue, landing on the first page of Remus’ interview. “This one has a strong and unshakeable core, forged through his country upbringing and… well let’s see, shall we?”

James settled into his chair more comfortably, ignoring the incredulous expression Sirius was throwing at him. “Says here Remus is an outdoor enthusiast and loves being out in the sun and nature. Obviously peaches are fruits and they like the same thing, how perfect.” He said, punctuating the sentence by making a check-mark gesture in the air with his pointer finger. “He’s a huge backpacker, brings a pair of hiking boots everywhere he goes.” 

Sirius added on pointlessly at that last bit, “Wonder if he plans to do any backpacking while he’s around here?” 

“I don’t know, but wouldn’t hurt to find out now that you’re pals, would it, mate?” James quipped back immediately.

James continued like a bulldozer; like every topic he got himself worked up about, Sirius was certain he wasn’t going to let this go for at least another 20 minutes, so he might as well enjoy the ride. “Here we go,” James said and cleared his throat before reading directly from the magazine article, altering his voice to imitate the animated timbre of a game-show host, “‘Remus Lupin is a man of many outdoor interests, if his passport is any indication. He’s jaunted around some of the world’s most breathtaking nature sites, from the Torres del Paine circuit in Chile, to the Milford Track in New Zealand, to the 2600-mile Pacific Crest Trail on the west coast of his own backyard, but finds nowhere in the world quite so alluring as his hometown of Lake Tahoe in Nevada.’ Wonder if he’s ever used his right hook on a bear, or just your face?” James ignored the daggers Sirius threw at him.

“And his favorite musician is a singer-songwriter from Ireland named Hozier--” at this point, Sirius flew across the gap between the bed and chair and grabbed the magazine from James, saying something inaudible about shrikes. “Wait Jamie, I need more details about his music tastes.” James’ eyes were wide and his hands still outstretched as if holding an invisible magazine, as Sirius tacked on unnecessarily, nodding toward the guitar, “I can play by ear and I didn’t bring this thing with me for nothing.” 

Sirius scanned the page, looking mildly disappointed for a moment. “Nothing else about music, but he has a dog, a three-year-old German Shepherd named Bear. And he has a pick-up truck that he takes Bear around in. He and his father fixed it up a few years back before he got sick.”

“‘When asked what keeps him grounded,’” Sirius continued, now reading a section of the article placed underneath a picture of Remus in running clothes crouched down next to a very large dog whose giant tongue was licking his laughing face, “Remus did not hesitate to answer that the addition of Bear in his life is what has given him the most peace since his father passed. While out on a fishing trip with his buddies, Remus witnessed a man in a large truck abandon the German Shepherd in a nearby field. Feeling an immediate pull to him, Remus followed the frantic dog through the woods for over an hour, finally coaxing it over to him with a can of tuna. The two have been inseparable ever since. Although the dog is not friendly with strangers, as he was likely abused by his previous owner, the love between Bear and Remus is obvious to anyone who sees them together.’ Right, of course he rescued an abused dog. This is without a doubt the least surprising thing I have ever read.”

James, who had been completely silent since Sirius snatched the magazine, offered evenly, “Sirius, I think there’s a part there at the end where he talks about what he likes in a bloke.” He raised his eyebrows when Sirius shamelessly abandoned that page to find the last section of the interview. 

A beat later, Sirius lamented, “Damn, he refuses to answer. Except that he only considers dating guys who…” Sirius squinted his eyes at the page, eyes re-reading the same line a couple of times, “know how to start a fire.” Sirius finished the last sentence as he slowly looked up at James, who was practically on his death bed at this point.

James’ came down from his fit of laughter, demeanor barely sobering, and leaned his elbows on his knees, hands clasped, to level with Sirius. “I’m going to make a suggestion and you can take it or leave it, mate. You’ve clearly got some feelings for the bloke, some strong attraction; suspected it before, but have known for sure since your adorable rant on the plane, and this totally precious conversation we’re having right now has sealed the matter pretty clearly. Look, you said it yourself that he is beginning to warm to you-”

“I said he is beginning to pull that stick out of his arse, not that he is warming to m-”

“You two can begin anew! The conflict is over, I mean shit, it was so long ago. So talk to him. Talk to him, Sirius. Woo him with your sexy Black charm and perfect jawline! Since when have you ever turned down a challenge? And for Christ’s sake learn how to start a fire, you useless city boy.” At that, Sirius pelted James with the ball of foil and gave a silent prayer of thanks for the internet’s extensive collection of how-to videos.


	4. Chapter 4

Remus had barely even noticed the little record shop, almost mistaking it for a dive bar as he strolled around downtown Sydney looking for it. He had a coffee in-hand, the whole morning free, and he wanted to use this blessed downtime to re-energize and keep his mind off swimming for a while. Passing through the doorway, he immediately took in the eclectic collection of posters lining the walls -- ranging from The Killers, to Dolly Parton, to Led Zeppelin -- and the delightfully musty smell of well-loved records. 

He waved a greeting to the young woman managing the shop, who couldn’t have been older than 19, and was leaning casually against the front counter reading a magazine. She was chewing a large piece of bright orange gum and looking up at him in surprise when she heard a voice, probably not expecting to see an olympian enter, given the rest of the sights and shopping available in downtown Sydney. He acknowledged the perfection of the store to himself, eyes adjusting to the rather dim lighting. He simultaneously wished the shop got more business than it probably did and was also grateful for the alone time. 

Remus approached an aisle of records and ran a hand lightly over the paper sleeves of A - C before pausing longer at the next row. He tapped a sneakered foot on the old linoleum floor as Strange Magic began playing overhead and flipped slowly through each of the records in front of him. He raised the warm coffee to his lips and released a breathy laugh a moment later, pulling a record out of its place in the row.

“Find something interesting?”

Remus startled at the new voice and his eyes shot up to meet another pair of eyes the color of gunmetal and lightening. Sirius Black was looking at him from across the aisle, a smile slowly lighting up the sharp angles of his face at Remus’ look of shock. In disbelief, paired with a little amusement by the fact that he had somehow run into Sirius for the third time in Sydney, in a record store of all places, Remus looked down and released a loud, exaggerated sigh, drawing it out way too long to not be ironic. At this point, the universe was just fucking with him. It had to be.

“Oh give it a rest, Remus,” Sirius pleaded with an giant eyeroll, clearly also exaggerated to match Remus’ sigh. “You’re in Sydney. You’re in a cool record store. And believe it or not, I’m not the arse that you think I am. So how about you, just for the next few minutes, pretend that you don’t hate me and just be open to the idea that maybe I’m not so terrible.”

“Well, we have gone literal years without ever running into each other during competitions. And now you’re somehow everywhere,” Remus responded with a little more gusto than he meant to, making some wide gesture with his hands, still holding on to the record he had grabbed before the interruption.

Sirius only hummed in response, his lips creeping up into a small amused smile at what Remus assumed was his somewhat flustered demeanor. He felt his face heat up at that thought, but after a beat, Sirius nodded plainly toward the Daft Punk record that Remus was still holding in his hand. 

Remus glanced down at the record, regaining his train of thought he had abandoned before Sirius showed up. He let out another huff, but this time it resembled more of a laugh than a sigh. “Just having minor deja vu. I first heard the song Digital Love on a road trip that my best friend and I took to the beach when we were in high school. I was obsessed with it.” Remus looked back up and flipped the record around between his hands absently as he recalled the memory. “I must have played it at least fifteen times before we got to Malibu. Pete’s head almost exploded,” he finished.

Sirius grinned, and Remus felt his own face start to respond in kind, as if it was contagious. “Ah,” Sirius said wistfully, “Those are the best songs; the ones that worm into your brain through a fond memory and never get old.” 

Remus nodded and ducked his head back down, more abruptly than he meant to, to continue flipping through records. He realized it was his turn to make some kind of conversation— “goddamnit,” he thought internally— so he glanced up at Sirius again and asked, “You must have the morning off today too?” 

Sirius took Remus’ question as a sort of invitation to engage, and he took a few steps closer, boots grazing the floor with an unhurried casualness that Remus didn’t really associate with Sirius Black. He lifted a hand to begin sifting through the row of records on Remus’ right and replied, “Yep. I’ve the whole day off, and thrilled for it. I needed to get out of the Village for a while. Saw that there was a record store within walking distance and how does one say ‘no’ to that.” Remus hummed in acknowledgment, as that had been his logic too. The men continued browsing for a minute before Sirius broke the silence again. “What’s your event tonight?”

Remus tipped his head up and offered, “Hundred meter backstroke final. Hopefully it will be my first gold of the year.” 

Sirius let out a gust of breath. “Oh, right, I watched you in the semi-finals yesterday; they should just hand you the medal now.” 

Remus laughed mildly, pulling at his bottom lip between his thumb and index finger because he had a hard time accepting compliments of any sort with a straight face. And receiving a legitimate compliment from Sirius was particularly strange to him. He quickly turned his gaze once again back toward the records. “Thanks, I’m feeling pretty good about it as well. But I’m surprised you noticed the semis yesterday; you were a bit busy winning your second gold weren’t you?” 

Sirius hummed in confirmation, and out of the corner of his eye, Remus saw Sirius wave his left hand dismissively. “That was my first time in the relay. I’m just lucky I’ve got such a great team.” 

Remus’ eyes flicked over to Sirius’ face briefly while the Brit flipped nimbly through the records in front of him, not expecting that response. He also felt surprisingly comfortable and simultaneously uncomfortable with their proximity; Remus noticed that he smelled like a mix of amber and chlorine, and he could feel the warmth radiating off of his body. His dark hair was thrown back into a loose bun, a few loose strands falling free and landing in an easy way that framed his cheekbones. Remus’ eyes traced the sharpness of Sirius’ jawline before shifting quickly back to his task.

“Oh my god,” Sirius said flatly, a moment later. “I’m having some of that deja vu now.” 

Remus’ eyebrows lifted in interest, and he craned his neck an inch to look at the Aqualung record in Sirius’ hands.

“You know James Potter, right?” Sirius began, and Remus nodded once in answer. “Well we grew up together, the same prep school and all. And in fifth grade we were in class with this adorable redheaded girl named Lily. When he saw her walk into the classroom for the first time, James dropped his pencil. Decided that she was the love of his life right then and there.” Remus laughed, amused by Sirius’ animated tone. Sirius continued on, pushing the long sleeves of his black half-zip to the top of his forearms, as if in preparation for the story. 

“So fast forward six years. James is dying to go out with Lily. It’s all he talks about at the time. I mean, he’s this tall guy with these massive shoulders, even at that age, and he cannot shut up about this girl. I can still remember it, ‘Sirius, she smells like strawberries, how does she do that?! Now strawberries are my favorite, I want to eat strawberries all the time.’ ‘Sirius, will you watch ‘Love Actually’ with me and quiz me on the storylines? It’s Lily’s favorite movie and I need to be prepared in case she ever mentions it while I’m around.’ ‘Sirius, she painted her nails blue today, do you think she did that because she knows that blue is my favorite color?’” Remus nearly spit out his coffee at Sirius’ voice, which he’d raised up an octave to imitate James for some unknown reason. 

“So then James starts asking Lily out, incessantly -- just these incredibly meticulously thought-out displays of affection, at least once a week. And Remus, every single time, she says no. The poor bloke somehow manages to put on a brave face, even though he is rejected every — single — time. Until one of her rejections was particularly spirited one day, and he goes back to his room completely defeated, and I cannot get ahold of him. I call nonstop, text, everything. No response. So I go over to his place and his parents let me in, and lo and behold, this giant water polo prodigy is curled up on his bed staring at the wall listening to Aqualung.” Sirius raised his hand up to his forehead and made a mindblown gesture.

“No. Which song was it?” Remus asked without meaning to, as Sirius’ hands dropped to his side with a thud.

He inclined his head toward Remus, as if impressed he was asking all the right questions, or perhaps just thrilled that Remus was engaging with him like somebody he had never gotten into a physical fight with. “That’s the best part. Strange and Beautiful. The one about putting a spell on your love interest?” Sirius began to sing a sped-up version of the song’s chorus, “‘I’ll put a spell on you. You fall asleep when I put a spell on you. And when I wake you’ll be the first thing you see and you’ll realize that you love me.’” 

“Right, so the creepiest song,” Remus commented mildly. Then he laughed vaguely again, partially because the situation was funny, and partially because the sound of Sirius’ accent compounded with his shockingly lovely singing voice made his brain feel weird.

Sirius splayed hands in a gesture of incredulity. “Yes!” Sirius agreed, nodding his head vigorously, “the creepiest song possible about magically tricking a poor girl into loving him. And come to find out, he would listen to it on repeat every time she rejected him, just laying in his bed, staring at those white walls, wishing he was some sort of wizard or something. It was embarrassing,” Sirius rested his hands lightly on the records and tilted his head to the side, peering side-long at Remus. “But here’s the thing, Remus,” he said in a sober voice, “I guess the joke’s on me, because apparently that song gave him the strength to go on trying, and Lily ended up marrying him, and they’re the greatest couple in the world. And they have a child now.”

Remus dropped his jaw, not expecting to hear that this story was going to end happily. He followed up in an airy voice a moment later, staring off into the distance at a faded Modest Mouse poster, “Wow. So the moral of the story is that creepy works.” 

“That’s right, creepy works,” Sirius confirmed, clicking his tongue. He turned to Remus after a beat and said, “Okay, this is a fun game. Your turn.” 

“My turn?” Remus asked in clarification.

Sirius lifted a hand toward the plethora of records before them. “Yep, find another artist, album, or song from your past and tell me a story.” 

Remus nodded once in understanding and continued down the aisle, wondering if he would even find a record that triggered a memory worth talking about. 

After five minutes of rifling through sleeves, he reached the R - T section. Remus’ hand steadied on one record and the corner of his mouth flickered imperceptibly. After a second, he flipped past it.

“Nope.” Remus turned to meet Sirius’ stare, unaware that he had been watching him so intently. Sirius folded his arms and faced Remus, his hip resting against the table. “That’s the one I want to hear about,” Sirius said with finality, tapping the heel of his boot on the linoleum. Remus cursed under his breath and flipped back to it. He slowly raised the record and turned it so that Sirius could view the cover.

“Shawn Mullins?” Sirius asked, intrigued. “Well it must be ‘Lullaby’ then. That was his only hit, right?” 

“Yes, it was definitely Lullaby,” Remus answered evenly, glad the store was dim; perfect lighting if you’re trying to downplay a blush creeping up your neck.

“Okay, what’s the story?” Sirius implored. Remus groaned, which he noticed only made Sirius’ smile grow wider with anticipation. Was he really about to do this?

“My ex-boyfriend, Garrett. The first time that we…” Sirius blinked twice in quick succession as Remus searched for the right words. Remus huffed, not quite believing that he was telling this particular story or any story to Sirius Black. “After we slept together for the first time, we are laying there, and it’s… you know… it’s lovely. His head is on my chest and he looks up at me with his big green eyes and asks me to sing Lullaby to him. It wasn’t just a request to sing a lullaby to him. He specifically wanted to hear Lullaby.” 

Sirius’ shoulders quaked as he burst out laughing, causing the girl at the front desk to look up in the middle of blowing a giant orange bubble. His eyes were bright when he raised his head back up from his doubled-over position and offered, “I am brimming with questions. I’ve never needed more clarification in my life. Right, so was it always a favorite song of his or did this just come up spontaneously? And do you think that he had prepared that request prior to sex or did your lovemaking just shatter his world so thoroughly that he needed to hear the soothing sounds of --” Sirius switched his singing voice back on, belting out a theatrical rendition of the lyrics “‘-- everything’s gonna be alright. Rockabyeeeee.’” 

Remus tossed his head back in a silent laugh, amazed that this topic wasn’t even a fraction as awkward as it could be. With Sirius Black. “You know, I never asked, and now I’m full of regret about it?” Remus took off his baseball cap and ruffled his wavy hair as Sirius sighed disappointedly. “But no, we’d never talked about that song before, which makes the situation decidedly more bizarre in retrospect,” Remus continued, staring off into the distance once more at Isaac Brock, while Sirius barked again. 

“So many questions.” Sirius said, trailing off. “The most important, did you sing it to him?” 

“Of course I did, Sirius,” Remus said in a supremely confident tone, and placed his hat back on his head, as Sirius sent Remus a look of respect. Remus made a circular motion with his hand and commanded, “Let’s move along, I believe it’s your turn now. Preferably something embarrassing about you this time. To even things out, yeah?”

Sirius smiled wickedly at Remus, before he breathed in quickly through his teeth and his expression took on a look of apology. “Remus, you’ll soon learn that I’m pretty shameless. Not a lot that embarrasses me, mate.” He turned to the other side of the aisle, now flipping through sleeves with purpose. “Ask James sometime, he knows all of my dirt and gets so upset that none of it bothers me. He always says that I’m the worst target for blackmail.” He turned back to Remus and briefly locked eyes with him. “Well, since the world found out that I like men, that is.” Remus felt something in his body tighten at this comment, now fully noticing that the content of their conversation had moved past surface-level quips and banter.

“Here’s something, though.” Sirius proclaimed, turning his body back around to face Remus again and taking him out of his thoughts. He was holding a record gingerly in both hands, as if underscoring its importance. “Radiohead’s In Rainbows album.” He said simply. “When I was a teenager I started loving Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, these artists that played with meter and form in really creative ways that other musicians weren’t exploring as much. When someone introduced me to this album,” Sirius held up the sleeve an inch higher, “my mind was blown for different reasons. I thought the sound was unique and just so sexy to me in a new way.”

Sirius tilted his head and looked down at the album, musing on. “So of course my first time featured this album playing in the background. I can remember the exact moment in House of Cards when it officially… happened, so to speak.” Sirius spoke in an exaggeratedly wistful tone while stroking the album absently, as if it were an old lover he hadn’t seen in some time. He looked up at Remus and continued, “You know Remus, I can’t actually remember what color the bloke’s hair was. But I’ll never forget Thom Yorke.” 

Remus had been thumbing the corner of an album sleeve, eyes settled unconsciously on Sirius’ hand for a beat longer than intended, until Sirius finished his incredibly familiar story. He flashed Sirius a muted smile, working hard not to reveal too much through his expression. “I can’t say I haven’t had a similar experience with that album,” he admitted. Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but before he could ask for more details, Remus pre-empted him with a series of staccato sentences. “The song Nude. On repeat. A backpacking trip in Europe.” 

Sirius nodded and lifted up a pointer finger, as if gearing up to say something important. “Now was this before or after Lullaby?” He asked, gesturing his hand side to side.

“After,” Remus announced mildly, a little amusement peeking through. “But speaking of romantic encounters, this was the album I was looking for.” Remus had doubled back to the D-F section and pulled out David Bowie’s Hunky Dory. “Incredible album. First knew of David Bowie when I saw him in Labyrinth as a kid. I think my mom knew I was gay way before I ever I did because of how obsessed I was. There was a specific scene during Magic Dance where he does this twirl, and I used to rewind the VHS over and over again to watch that part. I also practiced it quite a lot, but could never quite get that damn hip roll down.” 

“Bowie!” Sirius clicked his tongue and continued matter-of-factly. “Of course. I wrote my university thesis on how David Bowie is solely responsible for at least fifty percent of the gay population. It’s known.” 

“You went to university?” Remus asked and looked back at Sirius with narrowed eyes, not sure just how much of what he had said was a joke given his even tone.

Sirius answered with a dramatic huff, head lolling to the side in a deep arc. “No, Remus…” He stared, making it abundantly clear Remus had made an error, until Remus snorted, realizing Sirius was having him on. Sirius finished his act with a small smile and said, “I’ve been a little busy winning gold medals, is that good enough for you?” 

“Sorry Sirius, none of it will be good enough until you write a published thesis about how David Bowie is solely responsible for at least fifty percent of the gay population. It’s your own fault now, really, this was not my idea,” Remus chucked back.

“Alright, I’ll get on that right away.” Sirius said as he leveled Remus with an open smile, and Remus once again felt a simultaneous surge of discomfort mixed with equal parts enjoyment, but more intense this time. How was he so easily conversing with a man whom he couldn’t stand to be around only four years ago? He and Sirius had not even approached discussing what happened between them in Athens, they didn’t so much as look at each other during the World’s competitions, and yet they were somehow able to chat easily now. It didn’t make sense; Remus wasn’t sure how he felt about suddenly being friendly with Black, and he decided it was best to leave the situation now and work through this inner tension later. And whatever else it was he was feeling that he couldn’t pinpoint at the moment.

Remus shifted his weight and pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. It was a little after 1pm, so he had just about three hours before he needed to be at the Aquatic Center to start warming up.

“Time to get back?” Sirius said a bit distantly; he must have noticed the change in Remus’ demeanor, which made Remus feel even more odd, but there was nothing to be done about it. Remus shoved the phone back down into his pocket, looking back up.

Remus replied in his best regretful tone, “Ah, yeah. I’ve got some things to take care of before the race tonight.” He didn’t. He would probably relax in his room and clear his head for a couple hours before heading to the pool.

Sirius nodded once and said with a polite smile, “Well, good luck tonight, Remus. Will see you around I’m sure.” His voice was smooth as ever, but came out a little distant again, professional.

“Sure thing. I’ll see you later.” Remus said and lifted the cold cup of coffee in his hand up in a parting gesture before turning away. He took two steps towards the door and started to let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding when he heard his name again. 

“Wait, Remus,” he heard, turning around to see Sirius leaning against one of the tables again. Sirius asked conversationally, “Are you staying for Closing Ceremonies?” 

“I’m leaving a couple days before the Ceremonies to do some hiking,” Remus answered slightly apprehensively, curling and uncurling the fingers of his right hand, and he could have sworn he heard Sirius mutter something under his breath. “But I’ll be around for a few days after the swimming competitions end. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious, mate. We’ll talk later. Off you go.” Sirius waved Remus off and combed a loose strand behind his ear with his fingers as he turned back around. Remus laughed inaudibly and retraced his steps back toward the door. As he walked into the sunshine and tossed his cup in a nearby bin, he was surprised to note that he hadn’t thought about swimming once during his visit to the little shop.

*****

“Sirius, what kind of wine do you want? There’s an Australian red blend that looks promising.” Regulus offered as he moved to hand the wine list to Sirius. 

Sirius looked up from the menu he was reading and shook his head at his younger brother. “I’m not drinking, Reg. Just sticking with water until my competitions are over.”

“That’s new.” Regulus offered flatly, and his eyes dropped back down to browse the wine list. 

“Haven’t you heard, Reg?” James cut in brightly, eyes flashing at Sirius. “He’s abstaining from a lot of things in Sydney.” 

Regulus looked up once again from the wine list, glancing from James to Sirius and then back to James. “I don’t want to know,” he said pointedly to James through narrowed eyes.

“I’m just complimenting your brother on being a much better roommate this time around,” James replied meaningfully, raising a glass of ice water to his lips. “Very appreciated, Sirius,” he added, looking over at his friend.

Sirius raised a splayed hand toward James’ face to block him out as he turned his head to direct a deeper explanation to Regulus. “I’m just being more deliberate this year. If I don’t get gold in one of my events, I don’t want it to be because I did something stupid. Plus I’m really trying to keep the media off of me.” Then Sirius spun his head toward James, who seemed to be opening his mouth with the beginning of retort, and quickly pre-empted him. “Shut up, James.”

“Uh huh,” Regulus responded disinterestedly, while James snorted and continued chewing loudly on a piece of ice. “James, which wine do you prefer?”

James replied around the ice, “Whatever you and Amanda are having is great. I’m not picky, especially after the baby, just give me alcohol.” 

“Australian red it is, babe,” Amanda declared pleasantly to Regulus, running a hand through her long brunette waves, exposing a hidden lock of magenta. Regulus looked pleased to have finally settled the matter; he set down the wine list and was immediately more eager to engage in conversation.

“What events do you have going on tomorrow, Sirius? What time should we get to the Center to watch?” Regulus asked, reaching over to caress Amanda’s hand on his left.

“Tomorrow is my busiest day -- I’m going to be happy to get it over with. I have both the 200 meter butterfly and the 200 meter freestyle relay,” Sirius explained as the waiter came over to the table to take their dinner and drink orders.

“I thought you did the freestyle relay yesterday, Sirius?” Amanda clarified brightly from across the table once they had all ordered, her big blue eyes trained on him expectantly. “And Great Britain got gold?”

“That one was the 100 meter relay,” Sirius responded. His hands were clasped under his chin easily and elbows were resting on the table as he looked over at Amanda, utterly relaxed. “I’m competing in a few more relays this year.”

“That’s right. Got it. So what time are you swimming then?” she asked, tapping a dark purple fingernail on the white tablecloth, as if that would help her commit the upcoming fact to memory.

Sirius’ eyes looked past her for a moment as he focused on recalling his upcoming events. “I have heats for both in the morning, then the semi-finals for butterfly and the finals for the relay are in the evening. The final race for 200 meter butterfly won’t be until the next night,” he supplied, then waved a hand in the air before continuing, “but don’t spend all day at the pool center. Just come for the final relay tomorrow and then the finals for butterfly the next night if you’d like. I’m sure you want to see some other sports while you’re here, plus, you’ve already seen me swim thousands of times.” After Sirius had rattled off his schedule, he’d suddenly remembered that the finals for the 100 meter backstroke, Remus’ event, were tonight and starting at any moment. 

“That’s perfect! I’m dying to watch the gymnastics finals, so we can spend the morning and afternoon there before we head over to the Aquatic Center to see the real main event,” Amanda said to Sirius wiggling her eyebrows excitedly as Regulus mumbled something about fencing competitions. Sirius smiled at her, and when a moment later the attention was off of him, he pulled out his phone under the table and set it on his thigh. After James asked Amanda what gymnasts she was most interested in seeing, Sirius took that opportunity to look down at his phone for a moment and link up the swimming live stream. 

“So have you two set a date for the wedding yet?” Sirius asked Amanda in a curious tone during a quiet moment, hoping to launch Regulus and Amanda into talking a lot about a subject he wouldn’t have to contribute to while watching his phone. The plan worked.

“Oh yeah! Guess that’s our big news. It’s going to be next June. June 18th. So we still have about nine months to plan, which is nice because there’s a lot to do and event planning is not my forte,” Amanda said, and she and Regulus went on to share their thoughts on those wedding details that they had considered so far, like locale and color scheme, which allowed Sirius a chance to glance at his phone again. Backstroke wasn’t up yet. 

James joined in the conversation, able to relate to wedding planning as he and Lily had married only two years prior. “Will it be a big wedding? Lily and I kept it pretty small since her family can be obnoxious. It definitely made the day less stressful than it could have been.” 

“We drafted a guest list and have about 200 right now. So not massive, considering the size of Regulus’ family, but it won’t be small,” Amanda responded a little warily, biting the inside of her cheek. Sirius felt a wave of nausea as the conversation continued. Even though the wedding was nine months away, the idea of being in the same room as his relatives sounded like a nightmare. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and tried not give his feelings away; he would gladly endure seeing his anyone for Regulus, and he didn’t want to come off otherwise.

He glanced at his phone again and refreshed the feed. Backstroke was up in five minutes.

“Sirius?” 

Sirius glanced up at the mention of his name and saw Regulus looking at him inquisitively. He shook his head minutely and said softly, “Sorry, Reg. What did you say?”

“Will you be my best man?” Regulus repeated evenly, locking his dark gray eyes with Sirius’ light ones.

Sirius paused in disbelief. “Really?” he asked Regulus unnecessarily, and Regulus inclined his head in answer, a small smile poking at his lips. “But aren’t you worried that will cause a problem?” Sirius asked, and Regulus heard the unspoken end of that sentence.

Regulus shrugged, his lips slightly pursed. “No. It’s my wedding, and you are my brother. If anyone has a problem with my wedding party, they can leave,” he said unaffectedly before taking a drink of wine, his whole demeanor extremely casual. Sirius looked at him with equal parts awe and bemusement. Regulus spoke as if it were the simplest concept in the world, as if there was no risk at all to him in making the family pariah his best man. Sensing his confusion, Regulus continued bluntly, “They are all different with me, Sirius. And they tread much more softly now that things more amicable with you and our parents. There’s more to lose, and even if Mom and Dad don’t always stand up for you, they know that I will.” 

Sirius felt a stab of pain in his gut. Regardless of how terrible his family was and the many great people he had in his life, there would always be a 12-year-old inside. But Sirius bookmarked that feeling, focusing on the positive; he was very grateful that his little brother did not live to please others, and he admired him for being able to coexist with the entire Black family without sacrificing his principles. 

“Of course I will, Reg. Whatever you want,” Sirius said as he locked eyes with Regulus. The brothers had a brief moment of connection and Regulus nodded back at Sirius. In that instant, Sirius couldn’t help but notice that the tables had turned; Sirius was used to standing up to his parents to support Regulus when they were kids, not the other way around. The intense moment was broken when the waiter brought the plates to their table.

It was quiet for a minute after everyone received their plates and began to eat, and Sirius took that as an opportunity to glance down at his phone — the swimmers were lining up for the race. His eyes were glued to Remus on the tiny screen, who was in the middle lane, executing on his usual routine of getting acclimated to the water before the race. Sirius smiled as he thought back to their run-in at the record store; his memory of Remus’ bashful laugh juxtaposed sharply with his confident, laser-focused attitude in the pool, and Sirius wanted to learn how else the man would surprise him.

“Oh, James,” Amanda’s voice broke Sirius out of his trance. “When does water polo start? Not until the second week, right?” She asked, combing her hair behind an ear.

James nodded exaggeratedly in the middle of chewing a bite of steak. After a couple of seconds he swallowed and was able to properly respond. “A week from today! Can’t wait.” 

“Wow!” She exclaimed. “Did you have to get to Sydney this early, then? Or did you choose to?” Sirius took a moment to appreciate Amanda. She was so easy to be around, and she took an interest in the people around her. Considering the lofty socialites that Orion and Walburga had dreamed of Regulus marrying, Sirius felt like he hit the jackpot getting Amanda as a sister-in-law. 

James supplied back, with a nod of acknowledgment, “I had to. We have practice and exercises almost every day leading up to our first game against Spain. But I would have anyway, for my sweet Sirius, here.” James nudged Sirius’ arm affectionately and Sirius fumbled to grab his phone before it fell off his thigh. He checked the live stream again surreptitiously and saw that Remus’ race had just started. 

“I’m so sad that Lily couldn’t make it. Bet you are too.” Sirius heard Amanda’s forlorn voice, but it was as if she were speaking in the distance. His eyes were glued to his phone and he hoped that the conversation wouldn’t require his attention for the next minute. Sirius certainly hoped he didn’t have to explain to the table why he was so fixated on Remus’ performance that night to the point of live-streaming his race at dinner -- but he was willing to take the risk, and it seemed like he was going to get away with it.

Sirius watched as Remus took the lead immediately, not surprising as he always dominated anything involving backstroke. Nevertheless, Sirius felt a small rush of adrenaline, and he also felt really bad for anyone swimming against Remus at that moment. He picked up on James rambling on about Lily, and once again, silently noting his appreciation for Amanda’s engaged presence that evening. He glanced up for a second before returning his eyes back down to his lap. 

Remus turned for the final 50 meters, still in the lead and gaining speed as he sprinted to the finish. The Chinese swimmer in the next lane over was creeping closer, but nowhere near enough to overtake Remus. Sirius vaguely registered James bragging about Harry being in the 99th percentile of head size for infants just as Remus finished in clear first place. 

Sirius blinked hard and breathed out a celebratory sigh. But at that, Regulus’ gaze drifted over to Sirius, noticing that his brother’s reaction seemed misplaced in the context of the table’s conversation. 

Sirius struggled to suppress a smile as he watched the camera zoom in on the first place finisher; Remus had thrown off his goggles and was watching, out of breath, as the times were announced. When he saw he had won the gold, his face transformed into the brightest smile Sirius had ever seen on a person. Sirius watched as he slapped the surface of the water and shot an arm up triumphantly, waving to someone in the stands, then pulled himself out of the pool to be embraced fanatically by his teammates.

As Sirius watched Remus celebrate -- and god, that smile -- that was it; he could no longer deny it. Remus was obviously gorgeous, grounded, capable of witty banter, and also had an uncanny ability to scare the shit out of Sirius during each interaction they had together. Sirius had never encountered anyone like him before, so kind while also taking no shit, and he decided it was time to do something with that fact.

Sirius exited his phone’s browser and hastily turned his attention back to the table, starting back on his nearly untouched steak. He zoned into the conversation again and barked out a laugh, catching the tail end of James mimicking Lily’s voice when she complains about his choices in bath time songs for Harry. Sirius was about to join in on James’ imitation of Lily insisting that Pour Some Bathwater On Me is inappropriate, but he caught sight of Regulus staring intently at him. Sirius sent him back a puzzled look; Regulus just lifted a bite of broccoli to his mouth and chewed slowly, eyes still set on Sirius with the air of someone who knows something you don’t.

“Sirius,” Regulus said when he finally felt like it, as James continued his animated conversation with Amanda. “What other events are going on tonight?” 

“Backstroke and uh, freestyle, I think?” Sirius asked, his head cocked to the side and eyebrows furrowing more deeply as he peered at Regulus. Instead of responding, Regulus took a long, annoying drink of wine. Sirius turned his head away from Regulus slowly, only breaking eye contact at the very last second as he directed his attention back to James and Amanda.

Sirius sank back a bit more comfortably in his chair. “What are your parents up to tonight, Jamie?” Sirius asked, tuning out his brother’s face from his periphery. “I haven’t even talked to them here yet, only waved at them in the stands. I was surprised they didn’t want to meet up with everyone for dinner.” 

“They went to watch diving. Mom is super excited about diving, had to watch it in person I guess. They have an entire itinerary planned out,” James said and then took another small drink of his wine, made an impressed face and gave a thumbs up to Regulus, and continued talking to Sirius. “Don’t worry, all of your final races are scheduled into their plan. They don’t want to miss a single medal ceremony, which as we know, means any opportunity to brag about you to everyone sitting around them.” 

Sirius rubbed at his temple and smiled. “Well I do love that, don’t get me wrong,” he said sincerely, “but I’d like to buy them dinner while they are here. It’s probably going to be the last time we are all at the Olympics together.” 

“Excellent point, Sirius. But you’re forgetting that, even though I am retiring after this year, we will still be cheering at all of your races. So it won’t actually be the last time,” James assured. “Unless you are planning on retiring and didn’t tell me?” James drummed his fingers along the stem of his wine glass to emphasize the question.

“Sirius, what are your plans after Sydney?” Amanda chimed in interestedly, her chin resting in a palm as she leaned on the table.

Sirius laughed a little tightly, feeling a wave of uneasiness set in unexpectedly at this topic. Sirius would be 30 years old during the next Olympics, which was older than the average competitive swimmer, but definitely not unheard of. He started, “I have never thought about my life without swimming. Of course I’m not retiring yet.” He shrugged. “I have no idea what I’d do.”

“Plus you’re swimming better than you ever have in your life,” Regulus added simply, waving at the waiter for the check. “You can’t stop now.” Sirius felt the wave of uneasiness diffuse into appreciation as he looked at his younger brother, all discomfort abandoned for the moment.

*****

Sirius sat on his bed and lightly strummed his guitar, cutting in periodically on the FaceTime conversation happening a few feet away. He had been the third wheel permanently affixed to James’ and Lily’s relationship from the very beginning, so his participation in their conversations was nothing new. 

James was lying against the headboard of his bed, laptop balanced on one knee. “No, I swear babe, you’re not missing out on anything. It’s just like Athens. You know what they say, once you’ve been to one Olympics, you’ve been to them all! Right Sirius?”

“Hm, that’s funny James, I’ve actually never heard that before,” Sirius said without looking up from his guitar, earning him a piercing glare. “I mean, oh yes,” Sirius corrected himself robotically, feeling the daggers being shot his direction. “That’s absolutely true. Literally everything about Sydney is just like Athens.” 

“See, Lil--” James began before Sirius broke in again, “In fact, Lily, I would argue you never need to leave your house again for the rest of your life because you’ve seen it all--”, but Sirius was cut off by the pillow James threw at his head.

“I’m really fine, James. We miss you, though. And you too, Sirius!” Lily added loudly, making sure he could hear her from wherever he was listening in the room. It was adorable. “We try to watch all of your races. The time difference isn’t too bad for your evening events, so we have watched all of those. Harry is usually waking me up at 6am anyway; works out great.”

“Ohhh, what is this? Sirius, you have a good luck charm!” James cooed proudly, alluding to his three month old son.

“Yeah, I’m sure he understands the Olympics with that giant head of his,” Sirius said under his breath as he strummed a new chord. When James looked over at him with a puzzled expression, Sirius cleared his throat and broke out in a huge grin. “I said that’s adorable! I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have such a perfect godson.” Lily and James each glanced at each other through their computer screen with pleased, approving expressions, and Sirius played a loud riff to mask his snort.

“Big day tomorrow, Sirius. Are you nervous for your two events?” Lily asked, still talking a little too loudly.

“Aw, Lils. I don’t get nervous, you know this,” he reproached, looking up from the guitar he was continuing to play. She laughed immediately, as if, yes, she did know this. He continued, “But I do get tired, and it’s approaching 10 o’clock. And I have some gold medals to win tomorrow...” 

Lily clicked her tongue and supplied, “Yes, yes, of course. Just five more minutes. Because…” A sly smile spread across Lily’s face as she continued, “I hear you’ve been a much more considerate roommate this year.” 

Sirius, knowing exactly where this conversation was about to go, groaned and stopped strumming his guitar as he leaned his forehead against the headstock. James started laughing as Lily’s eyes widened in anticipation and she started silently clapping on the screen. Sirius had been stupid to think that James wouldn’t keep her apprised of every detail about this trip.

“He crushed his event today, made it look far too easy.” Lily offered matter-of-factly, bypassing the smalltalk and landing right on the hot topic. 

“He did,” Sirius replied evenly, staring up at the ceiling. James raised his eyebrows and looked between his wife and Sirius, unaware that Remus had “crushed”, let alone competed, that day. At that moment, James made the conscious decision to stay quiet during this conversation. Despite the fact that James was closer to Sirius than anyone else in the world, Lily seemed to have more success in getting Sirius to open up about certain subjects, and this was one of those subjects.

“He looked pretty cute after he won,” Lily offered matter-of-factly again, trying to choose neutral words that would keep Sirius from shutting down the conversation. This was careful business.

Sirius released a resigned sigh and closed his eyes, deciding that he might as well start to embrace this subject if he was set on doing anything about it. “Yes, Lily. He always looks very… cute.” He emphasized the last word with a note of derision in his voice as he rearranged his fingers in another chord and strummed. 

“What word would you use instead, Sirius?” she asked lightly.

Sirius hadn’t realized he was holding his breath. He strummed once more and released the next string of words in one fast exhale. “He’s fucking exquisite, Lily.” Sirius felt an immediate surge of relief at having finally spoken those words aloud to somebody else. He continued on, “Everything about him. I didn’t see it before, but now it’s staring me in the face and won’t let up. And I have to think for three seconds before I talk to him just to make sure I don’t say anything dumb, it’s…” he stared off into the distance, “incredible.”

Lily’s smile shone brightly at James from the privacy of the computer screen, but her voice remained calm after Sirius’ confession, taking care not to overwhelm him. “I see. How are you going to approach the situation?”

“I don’t know, but I need to do something, Lily. He’s leaving Sydney early to go on a trip a couple days after our last event.” Sirius turned to James briefly, who looked shocked to be hearing this information for the first time and said pointedly, “a hiking trip” (“you’re good,” he heard James sigh impressedly), then addressed his next words to both of them. “I ran into him today. We talked for at least half an hour at this dingy little record shop. And of fucking course we run into each other at a record shop of all places, too.” Sirius rambled on, not wanting to stop now that he had gotten going, “We laughed about stupid shit, our conversation was so incredibly easy. But I’m out of my element with him.” Sirius ran a flustered hand through his hair. “I can’t gauge how he’s feeling, and he seemed to kind of … shut down at one point. He left pretty abruptly. I realize I’m not known for my tact or thinking before I speak, but I don’t think I said anything offensive, so I’m not sure what happened. Maybe he’s still miffed about Athens and I was wrong to think otherwise, or maybe he simply doesn’t want to be friendly with me. I also haven’t, you know, had real feelings for someone that weren’t centered around hooking up, so maybe I’m fucking doing it wrong?” 

Sirius turned to look at James, who wore an annoyingly chipper smile on his face. “James, I’m baring my soul here and you’re mocking me.” 

James shook his head but kept the wide grin intact. He offered in a sincere tone, “No, I’m not mocking you, I swear. It’s just…” James tilted his head before he continued, as if about to break some difficult news. “Welcome to the real world, Sirius. How do you think I felt for years trying to get Lily to notice me?”

Sirius breathed out a laugh and rubbed at his temple, vividly remembering the Aqualung incident and James’ teenage unrequited love. He dropped his hand back down to rest on the fretboard of his guitar and replied in a dejected tone, “Well, I feel like I suddenly turned into a toad or have the worst personality in the world -- one of those, or both.”

Lily’s abrupt laugh sounded through the laptop speaker. “No, Sirius. Not at all,” she reassured him.

“You’re an absolute ten out of ten, mate, and here’s why.” James joined in, settling more comfortably into the bed, hand splayed as if he were preparing to tick off points. He started with his thumb and asserted, “Best head of hair I’ve ever seen on a man, including the old wizard’s in that one movie series. Gorgeous pectorals -- I mean, wow, are you a world-class swimmer or something, tell me your secret, please I’m begging you. Capacity for witty banter is unparalleled, except perhaps by me. Nobody on planet earth has ever looked better in a leather jacket, but don’t tell anyone you heard that from me. You’re loyal and generous as hell,” James said as he grabbed his pinky. After a second, James added, “Oh and your voice?” He paused dramatically until Sirius turned to look at him with raised eyebrows, chuckling at the eclectic hodgepodge of qualities James had referenced. “Sultry.”

“You just haven’t had to work for anybody before,” Lily continued once James’ finished repairing Sirius’ bruised ego. “They have all just magically fallen into your lap. And now there is this guy who not only is your equal, but who also isn’t throwing himself at your feet. Of course you like him.” Sirius nodded thoughtfully, beginning to comprehend the bigger picture beyond his own, very new feelings for Remus. “Also, do I need to remind you that he acted out at you in Athens?” Lily continued. “You were no saint, Sirius, and I have no doubt he was just one of the many people who wanted to call you out on your bullshit, but you weren’t the only one in the wrong. I’m sure he knows that and feels as awkward about it as you do, possibly more, because from what I can tell, he doesn’t seem like a bloke who loses his cool often. Remember that he is the one who made things physical; that’s a big deal. Especially if you two haven’t talked about it yet.”

“Yeah… Yeah that makes a lot of sense, Lils.” Sirius said and took a deep breath. “So what do I do now?”

“Don’t overthink it. Be you, Sirius. People love how engaging and confident you are naturally — it’s very attractive. The past couple of years have been incredibly painful for you and have required you to grow into your own person, and now people get to see the real Sirius that James and I have known and loved for forever, not some Black high-society caricature of you. You light up every room you walk into and I think that almost everyone wishes that they could do that. But they can’t, which is why they are drawn to someone who can do it so effortlessly.” James hummed in agreement and Sirius smiled to himself, grateful to have the two greatest friends he could ever hope for. “And when the right time comes around, which it will, bring up Athens. Don’t beat around the bush with it. Have a conversation. And put some of the responsibility on him too. This was a problem that you both created and you shouldn’t take the full blame of it just because you want to be with him. You’re his equal.”

“Lily. How do you do that?” Sirius stared at James incredulously, as if he were her proxy. James responded with an understanding nod, mouth pulled into a firm line.

“Do what?” Lily asked through a little laugh.

Sirius plucked a chord progression idly, eyes still on James, and replied, “How do you cut through and so clearly see the situation for what it is?” 

Lily shrugged. “I’m very wise. It’s a gift. But really Sirius, I don’t know for sure, but I have a good feeling about this budding thing between you two. It’ll take some patience and effort, although the harder it is, the better it will be, like all things in life. And the worst case scenario is that you put yourself out there for the first time and it doesn’t work out, but you have a new friend. This is going to be really good for you, Sirius.”

Sirius was quiet for a moment, taking in all of the information Lily intuited. “Wow, Lily…” He started sincerely. “I finally understand why James married you.” He broke into a wide smile as James reacted with a sharp bark of laughter and Lily groaned something along the lines of Sirius being a ‘little shit’. Sirius continued more soberly this time, “But really Lily, you’re a goddess. I absolutely love you and I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

“You know I love you back,” Lily said affectionately. “Okay, I’ll let you guys get to bed now, Harry should be waking up from his nap soon. But I expect updates on everything from now on. You can’t hide from us now, Sirius. ” 

“Yes, mum.” Sirius stood up to and stuck his face in James’ space to wave at Lily and blow her a kiss before heading to the bathroom to give them a couple of minutes of privacy.


	5. Chapter 5

“What should we do for lunch? I’m starving,” Caradoc asked as Remus pulled a dry t-shirt over his head, his hair still wet from the shower he had just taken in the locker room. 

“Whatever you want. But let’s stay in the village -- I’m not really in the mood to fight the crowds today,” Remus offered. He opened his locker situated at the end of a long row of them and pulled out his phone, smiling at the messages from his mom and Peter about his heat that morning. He looked up and added, “By the way, you got back to the room late last night. Were you out with Marlene?” 

Caradoc replied with a sigh, “I wish. But I did get her number the other night! I’m trying not to scare her off. But no, Frank and I went to watch the US men’s basketball game after your race. It was awesome, had great seats.” 

“Must have been nice to get away from the pool for a couple hours.” 

“Amazing. Plus the US absolutely destroyed, which was expected because it’s basketball, but still mind-blowing to see in person.” Caradoc explained and began sharing a play-by-play of the basketball game the previous night. Remus listened intently until he spotted Sirius enter the space, freshly showered, wearing only a pair of slow-slung sweatpants and flip flops. Remus’ eyes settled automatically onto Sirius as he walked toward his locker in the next row, but the Brit didn’t look at him. It felt odd to be in such close proximity without acknowledging each other after yesterday’s run-in at the record shop, but then again, Remus had left pretty abruptly. And wait, why was he even thinking about this? 

Remus abandoned that thought when Sirius passed slightly out of eyeshot. He just couldn’t have that. He took a small step over and shifted his weight to his right foot to look at him again, glad for the convenient placement of his locker that hid him mostly from view.

“The star player made eighteen three pointers, Remus. Eighteen!” Caradoc was saying enthusiastically, looking over at Remus, who hadn’t reacted yet. “Do you have any idea how impressive that is?!” He added, even more enthusiastically.

“Yeah wow, that’s insane,” Remus replied flatly, sweeping his eyes down toward the locker again. He shifted his weight back on both feet evenly, turned back to Caradoc, and clarified in an interested tone, “Is that a lot? How many does he usually make per game?” 

When Caradoc scoffed melodramatically and eagerly launched into a description of the player’s stats, Remus craned his neck to peer around his locker once more, rubbing at the back of his shoulder as if this were just part of a stretch sequence. Sirius was facing his locker, such that all Remus could see was his back. Remus questioned himself, questioned what was going on, why he was unable to peel his eyes away as Sirius combed a hand through his long, wet hair and tilted a hip as he bent forward to reach inside his locker.

He turned grudgingly back toward his friend, but despite his best efforts, his attention only lasted a few moments on Caradoc. Remus had lifted one foot to rest on the locker bench, bent at the knee, and he heard something that made him lose his balance for a second. He grabbed hold of his locker and stood back upright. 

“You okay?” Caradoc said. 

“Yep. So, right, that is really impressive,” Remus said, crossing his arms and trying to sound a little more interested, but training his ears on something else completely. Sirius was softly singing a song to himself, just under his breath, but it was a song that Remus would recognize a mile away.

Remus asked himself again -- a little more forcefully this time -- what the fuck was going on, blinking hard a few times and clearing his throat, getting ready to make up a generic response to whatever was coming out of Caradoc’s mouth because he definitely was not listening. That was the best level of engagement he was going to be able to operate at, given the current environment. But in a strange twist of fate, before a response became socially necessary, Caradoc registered the sound of a locker closing and stepped a few paces away to check out who else was in the room making noise.

“Hey, Black! Come over here.” Caradoc called out warmly. Remus felt his stomach do something abnormal as Sirius turned around and made his way over holding his gym bag with a shirt draped over a shoulder, still drawing out the lyrics of the song under his breath, until he was standing next to them.

“Hey Caradoc, it’s good to see you. What can I do for you?” Sirius chimed, breaking out into a huge smile.

Caradoc made an exasperated sound and lifted up his hands, a friendly grin lighting up his face, as he said, “You can calm down. What has even gotten into you this year? You’re unstoppable, I felt like I swam the best heat of my life this morning and you had me by a whole second. I’ve been thanking God that you didn’t decide to compete in individual freestyle -- otherwise I wouldn’t be able to even look at you right now.”

Sirius adjusted the waistband of his sweatpants for a moment and replied earnestly, “Ah, thanks, mate. That’s nice of you to say.” Sirius did not appear to be uncomfortable at all in the presence of his biggest American rival — no hint of the kind of derision Remus used to expect from him, and Remus unconsciously hoped that he would stick around and keep talking. Sirius set his bag down on the bench and continued, “I just have a chip on my shoulder. Being publicly shamed will do that to you. It’s not as fun as it looks, I swear, but it is a hell of a motivation.” 

“Right.” Caradoc said with an understanding nod and guttural sigh. “That must have been total shit, man. The media are just a bunch of cockroaches.” 

Sirius laughed darkly, seemingly not bothered that the conversation had taken a more personal detour. “That they are. But I was also a bit of an unpleasant prick back then, so I’m sure I deserved some of the backlash I got.” At that moment, Sirius turned to acknowledge Remus, looking him straight in the eyes. “Hey, Remus,” Sirius said directly. Remus noted the hidden message.

Remus smiled back, not moving his gaze away from Sirius’ eyes, and far too aware that he had still not put a shirt on and his hair was dripping -- the perfect cliche. Remus was irritated at himself for having to pretend Sirius was a floating head in order to hold a coherent conversation with him. He decided that keeping his hands busy during this interaction was the smartest thing to do. 

“Hey Sirius,” Remus offered back, then bent down to grab his shoes and socks from his locker. “You must be excited going into your events tonight.” Caradoc hummed in agreement as Sirius sat down on the bench next to Remus.

“Can’t wait. But what about you? I had no idea you were competing in breaststroke this year,” Sirius said from Remus’ left, his voice a little muffled while he pulled his thin gray t-shirt on. Remus looked up abruptly from tying a shoe, surprised that Sirius had noticed this fact. “But there you were, dominating the heat today.”

Remus looked back down at his Nikes and replied, “It was my dad’s favorite stroke. He swam it in college. I really want to medal in it, for him.” Sirius did not immediately respond and Remus released a small laugh into the silence. “It sounds a little ridiculous when I say it out loud.”

Sirius tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brow slightly at Remus and said seriously, “That doesn’t sound ridiculous at all.” He added after a moment, “And based on how you did this morning, it looks like you’ll probably get that medal.” Remus peered up at him and smiled.

“Absolutely right. Gold. Remus is looking just as formidable as you are, Black,” Caradoc chimed in playfully. 

“I’ve noticed,” Sirius said, amusement in his voice. “Sorry, were you guys getting ready to head out? I’ll leave you to it,” Sirius said, standing up and stretching languidly.

“Yeah, we are going to go grab a bite for lunch,” Caradoc said, giving Sirius a friendly pat on the arm before peeking around his torso to look at a still-sitting Remus. “I’m going to run to the restroom and then let’s head out?” Remus made a sound of affirmation as Caradoc walked away, and he turned his attention back to Sirius and stood up. Remus tucked his hands in the pockets of his black track pants, and the two men just looked at each other for a moment.

“Hozier,” Remus said simply.

A moment passed. “What?” Sirius replied, an eyebrow raised skeptically.

“You were humming Hozier. To Be Alone,” Remus said in the same mild tone.

“Was I?” Sirius offered, the left corner of his mouth turning down as he tried to recall.

“Yes, by your locker,” Remus continued on, eyes flicking to Sirius’ mouth for a nanosecond before returning to his eyes. “Just a couple minutes ago.”

“Oh. Are you a fan of his?” Sirius asked with wide eyes.

“Obsessed. One of my favorite musicians, my go-to before races.” Remus supplied perfectly evenly.

Sirius made an O with his lips and nodded once. “Ah, the secret to Remus Lupin’s success. The sound vibrations of a soulful Irish musician, it all makes sense now.” He smiled with his eyes, giving them a piercing quality that made the room feel a little smaller to Remus.

“Exactly,” Remus said, mouth almost turning up at the sides before he caught his bottom lip between his teeth to keep it in place. “And what is the secret to yours?”

“Black coffee and an inferiority complex,” Sirius laughed lightly, and Remus searched his face intently after registering the very personal answer thinly disguised as a joke. Remus looked at him for another second, like he was a piece of Impressionist art he was trying to understand. 

“How are you so different than I thought you were?” he asked simply.Sirius’ eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sudden turn their conversation had taken. Remus picked up on a grain of discomfort in Sirius’ expression and quickly opened his mouth again. 

“Sorry, that was an annoying thing to say,” he elaborated. “I mean, it’s true, but it’s my fault mostly. I had this idea of you that was so off base.”

Sirius’ eyes flickered to the ceiling, as if he were preparing to say something he hadn’t quite composed in his mind yet. Remus waited expectantly, but right as Sirius began to part his lips in response, his features shifted again and he was greeting Caradoc with another open smile. 

Caradoc shot a grin back and leaned a hand against a locker a few feet away, addressing Remus, “Rem, I’m going to go grab Frank real quick to join us. I’ll meet you outside?” Caradoc waited for confirmation from Remus that this plan was sound, tossed out a “See you back here tonight, Black,” and then walked away again. 

Remus reached up to open his locker to grab his wallet. Just as he finished inputting the combination, he felt Sirius’ hand gently brush his wrist. He turned his head to meet Sirius’ eyes, which were softened on him.

“The night after we finish our events, James and I are putting together a small bonfire on the beach. A private beach,” Sirius began quietly. Remus’ chin lifted inquisitively and Sirius explained further, “James’ family friends own it. Just us and maybe my brother and a couple of James’ water polo guys. Anyway, I would love it if you would come too. You can bring a friend or two if you feel weird being around a bunch of Brits you don’t know very well.” Sirius released a laugh after that, which sounded oddly self-conscious, then spoke very sincerely, “Just come.”

Remus nodded immediately, caught off-guard by the earnestness underlying Sirius’ request and how close he was. “Yeah, that sounds great, Sirius.” 

Sirius released an exhale that sounded a lot like relief and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear, then went to grab the strap of his gym bag; it occurred to Remus that this must be what Sirius looks like when fidgeting. How fascinating. 

Remus added lightly, “Not sure how I’m going to hold my own around all the posh accents saying posh things, but I’ll give it the old college try.” Remus turned back toward the locker and pulled the metal bar down and out, mind suddenly recalling the small touch of Sirius’ skin on his; but he quickly caught himself and jerked the locker door open, a bit more forcefully than intended, as if the rapid movement would snap him out of the reverie, when Sirius volleyed back through an amused huff of laughter, “Only we’re eager to learn more of those bizarre American idioms, so you’ll be the star of the show I’ve absolutely no doubt. Prepare yourself.”

Remus had inclined his head in concession, a crooked smile forming, as he reached a hand into his locker. 

“Well, this is great. I’ll give you more details about everything when it gets closer,” Sirius promised him.

“Perfect,” Remus said, looking back at Sirius for a moment after he’d located his wallet. He opened his mouth as if to speak again, closed it, then shoved his wallet into his pocket. “Looking forward to it,” he added, having found his voice again.

“Me too,” Sirius assured. “Anyway, I’ve held you up long enough. Good luck tonight, mate.”

Remus re-applied the lock and smiled back, responding at Sirius’ same volume, “You too.”

*****

Remus pulled himself out of the pool amid a huge wave of gleeful shouts from the stands, and his teammates charged at him the moment he got to his feet. He pulled the swim cap off and started to shake out his hair when Caradoc grabbed him by the shoulders and intensified the shaking, grinning from ear to ear because Remus had brought home another gold for Team USA.

When his teammates started letting up, Remus began to make his way toward the locker room where a journalist and cameraman were waiting for him. She stepped forward and eagerly addressed Remus, microphone in-hand.

“Remus Lupin, absolutely amazing performance out there on the 200 meter backstroke, and not a surprise to anyone watching.”

Remus released an out-of-breath laugh and replied, chest still heaving, “Thanks a lot, I really had a blast.”

“Now, you’ve almost reached the end of your event sequence and have dominated each and every one. On Tuesday you earned gold in the 100 meter backstroke, on Thursday, you earned gold while racing in the 200 meter breaststroke for the first time competitively, and today you’ve got another gold in 200 meter backstroke. How does it feel to achieve three individual golds and a relay silver in Sydney so far?”

Remus shook his head as if in disbelief, before looking up and offering, “There’s no better feeling. Just being at these games with the best swimmers in the world is a total honor in and of itself, and then tack on medals, it’s just unreal.”

“You’ve one more race to go, the medley relay. USA is going to be neck and neck with Great Britain; how are you feeling about it?” 

Remus lifted his shoulders up with a huge smile, then dropped them down quickly as he set to replying, “I’m feeling great -- anxious, excited, all of it. I mean, the individual races are fantastic, but there’s nothing like the relays where the team gets to work together. Regardless of how we fare, this is going to be a really special race for me and I plan to soak it up.” He dropped his gaze back down and turned his ear toward the journalist again, preparing for her next question.

“And why is this race going to be special, Remus?”

Remus inhaled deeply, having finally caught his breath, before turning his gaze again to the journalist with an earnest expression, “I’m moving on from professional swimming after Sydney. The hard part is over now, and really just looking forward to swimming my best and enjoying my final relay and the next few days here with my team.”

“Well that’s big news I’m sure no one was expecting to hear. What are your plans after Sydney?”

Remus flashed a rueful smile and shrugged, laughing a bit as he responded, “You’ll find out when I do.”

“Okay, thanks for your time, Remus, we’ll catch up with you again in a few days. And good luck!” Remus smiled and nodded once more before turning to walk back to the locker room. He planned to take a quick shower and head back out for the medal ceremony.

*****

Hours later, Remus entered the lobby of his and Caradoc’s apartment building, breathing out a small sigh of relief that his day couldn’t have gone any better. What he’d said to the journalist was very much true: he was going to just enjoy his teammates and soak up the final days of his last Olympics for all it was worth. Although he was a little surprised at himself for announcing his exit from competitive swimming so spontaneously to a reporter, he was glad he did. Saying it out loud in a public forum made the next stage of his life feel more real somehow, and that was exhilarating. 

As he walked toward the elevators, he heard a vaguely familiar voice call out his name. He looked over to the seating area of the lobby and recognized James Potter immediately, who was zealously motioning Remus over. 

Remus’ expression shifted to a friendly smile, feeling extremely relaxed, and walked toward the water polo player. “Hey James, didn’t realize that we were in the same complex,” he lied pleasantly. 

James was taking his earbuds out and winding them around his phone as he responded incredulously, “Yeah, I can’t believe I haven’t seen you around until now!”

“Mhm, I guess I’m either in the pool or my room; I don’t spend too much time down here,” Remus explained as James bobbed his head up and down in understanding. Remus’ eyes peered around the room curiously. “Are you waiting for someone down here?” he asked a little tightly.

“Just Uber Eats,” James chimed, shaking his phone toward Remus in explanation. “Ordered some food for Sirius and me to eat back in the room. Someone’s got to take care of him while he’s bringing the golds home.”

Remus nodded with a grin at James, vague tension rapidly subsiding. “Yeah, he’s been blowing everyone away this year. I guess you are his secret weapon, I hope he appreciates you enough.”

James paused to shoot Remus a distinct look of approval and then gestured for him to sit down in the chair next to him. “If you have time,” James added seriously. After Remus moved to sit down, he continued chattering away, “You know, Remus, normally I would be…” James tapped his fingers on his cheek as if in thought, and continued, “apprehensive of the bloke who socked my best friend in the face? Normally I would maybe want to hunt him down? You know, nothing crazy. Maybe just tear off his limbs? I don’t want to go too extreme. Maybe kidnap his family?” Remus raised his eyebrows, unsure of how to reconcile James’ jovial tone with the scornful and fairly violent words coming out of his mouth. “But I’m a reasonable man, Remus. I try to stay objective, and I will be the first to admit that Sirius was the most massive arse on the planet four years ago. So let me just say thank you. Thank you so much for giving me that gift, mate,” James finished nostalgically, clapping Remus on the shoulder. 

Remus groaned, in some mixture of mortification and relief that James didn’t harbor any obvious hard feelings toward him. But knowing that there was at least some grain of truth to James’ word choice, even if he was ultimately joking, Remus explained, “I don’t know what came over me, James. I wish I could take it back. He just hit a nerve that he didn’t know was there at the worst possible time.”

“He knows,” James replied simply, absorbing Remus’ message. “Have you guys talked about it yet?”

“Not directly,” Remus said, rubbing his palm with his thumb absently.

“Well don’t fret over it; he’ll be happy to clear the air too when you feel like it. He’s really a wonderful bloke,” James’ said, serious tone turning slightly wistful. “And that hair…” He huffed and waved his hand. “Well, you’ve seen it,” he finished.

Remus squinted at James in equal parts amusement and bemusement, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, he was saved from having to think up a response when James’ phone rang.

He eyed his phone and then held up a pleading hand. “Hold on Remus, don’t leave just yet. Grabbing the food, back in a minute,” James said, then stood up and hustled out the lobby door, returning a few seconds later with three pizza boxes and a large brown paper bag. “Pizza and grilled vegetables and ice cream,” James stated merrily. “But don’t worry, Sirius doesn’t get ice cream yet because he has another medal to win tomorrow.”

“I wasn’t worried?” Remus said leaning his elbows on his knees, biting his lip to keep from laughing outright.

“Not a big sweet tooth on that one anyway. And I know what you’re thinking, ‘James, you pig. Eating ice cream and pizza-”

“I wasn’t thinking that at all,” Remus cut in evenly, shielding his mouth from view with his fingertips.

“‘You better be careful or that gorgeous wife of yours is going to up and leave you.’ And I know, Remus, believe me, I know. I worry about that every single day; always been too good for me. But cut me some slack, mate,” James continued indignantly as Remus’ face remained blank. “I’ve been training four years for this and my first water polo game isn’t even for another five days and I put chicken on my pizza to make it kind of healthy. And anyway, Remus, sometimes when the missus is away, I just want to go a little crazy.”

“And you deserve it, man,” Remus said good-naturedly, hand dropping heavily on his leg in a gesture of affirmation. “People have gotten crazy in international hotel rooms with worse things than a pint of ice cream.”

“Thank you, Remus,” James replied with an air of profound veneration, as if someone in his life finally understood him. “I’m tired of having to justify my choices. It’s nice to be around a good bloke who just lets me be me.” Remus had a feeling that nobody in James’ life had ever had any problem with the choices he made. “But I’ve been rude,” James said, arcing his head toward the elevators. “Do you want to come up and join us for dinner? I know you need to eat 12,000 calories a day, so don’t act like you’re not hungry.”

“Ah, thanks, James,” Remus started, as he rapidly flipped through his mental rolodex of possible excuses for why he couldn’t join them for dinner. As much as he was beginning to crave interaction with Sirius, the idea of spending time together in a small room sounded like a bad idea. “But I just got back from dinner with my mom,” he continued, which technically, Remus noted, was the truth, “and I need to get up to my room to call my coach about the relay heat tomorrow.” That one was a lie.

James scanned Remus’ face, giving him the uncanny impression that under James’ goofy exterior was a man with deep awareness who saw right through him. Much to Remus’ relief, James chose not to push the issue, and mused instead, “Well, color me disappointed. But at least you’re coming to the bonfire on Monday night?”

“I’ll be there,” Remus confirmed.

James nodded approvingly and inquired, “Has Sirius given you the details yet?”

Remus shook his head, rubbing his other palm now. “Not yet. I’m sure we’ll run into each other at some point before then, though. We both have the relay over the next two days.” 

“I’m not risking it. Here…” James fiddled with his phone for a moment before handing it over to Remus, “Give me your phone number.”

“Good idea.” Remus responded, as he took the phone and punched in his name and number.

“Perfect,” James sang. “I’ll pass it on to Sirius too. We are going to Uber over there at 5pm on Monday. You’re welcome to come early with us, or you can meet there later, totally your call.” Remus couldn’t help but appreciate James for giving him subtle permission to show up on his own terms. “Everyone else is coming around 6, so whatever works best for you,” he finished.

Remus nodded and double-checked, “And it’s okay if I bring my friend, Peter?”

“Yeah, of course,” James started, “A couple of guys from my team will be there too. But don’t worry, just a couple. This isn’t going to be a water polo party. I think Sirius’ brother and his fiancee might come. Maybe my parents. Who knows?!” James suddenly threw his hands up. “Who knows who will show up?”

Remus laughed again at the delightful oddity of a human being sitting next to him. He settled on a “sounds good”, then watched as James’ expression shifted. He trained his eyes on Remus’ and pointed an index finger in his direction. “But you’re showing up. We do know that,” he said, maintaining eye contact until Remus nodded, at which point he broke out into another huge grin. 

“Great! Can’t wait, Remus. Really, I’m absolutely thrilled that I ran into you tonight. Sirius will be so jealous,” James said offhandedly as he stood and picked up the boxes of pizza and bag of ice creams he’d placed on the table. “It’s going to be fun. You’re going to have fun.”

Remus said a quick goodbye to James and remained seated, watching as he headed towards the elevators, realizing just how much he was looking forward to this.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Highly recommend that you listen to this before reading the chapter to get the full effect: [The Wiggles "Fruit Salad"](https://youtu.be/iRu1Yp2br00?t=31)

“James, tell me the chords again?” Sirius asked as he rolled back the sleeves of his jacket, resting his guitar across his lap. He was seated next to the bonfire they’d lit on an expansive beach, with a quaint beach house nestled behind them; the sun was setting, washing the beach in pink and orange light.

James responded assuredly, “D, B minor, and A. The first three lines of each stanza are just D and B minor.” Adding through an unnecessary side stretch, as if getting ready for some challenging physical activity, “The last line is A.” 

Sirius nodded once and picked up the guitar, nestling the instrument comfortably on top of his thigh, which was clad in dark charcoal-gray jeans. He began strumming the chord progression and tapping a black boot along with the beat as James bobbed his head along. “Yes! Yes, that’s it. Perfect,” James said enthusiastically, then turned to his left to address Gideon and Fabian. “You guys know your part?” He asked, clearing his throat several times in preparation.

“Yes, Captain. Our entire training has led up to this pivotal moment. We won’t let you down,” Gideon responded dryly, drawing a cackle out of Sirius, who was still idly strumming. 

James sighed dramatically. “Cut me some slack, Gid! Harry doesn’t care about my water polo career yet, but he does like music. So I plan on bringing a gold medal home to impress Lily,” the twins sounded off identical grunts in agreement, “and a riveting musical performance to impress Harry. I can’t come home empty-handed can I?!” 

“Absolutely not, Jamesie,” Sirius quipped. “You know what to do, lads.” Sirius counted off a measure for the performers before strumming D.

“Fruit salad!” James sang out, horribly out of tune, but with extreme spirit. 

“Yummy yummy,” the twins chimed begrudgingly as Sirius switched to B minor.

“Fruit salad!” 

“Yummy, yummy.”

“Fruit salad!” 

“Yummy, yummy.”

“Yummy yummy, yummy yummy, fruit salaaaAAAAAaddd--” 

At that, James’ head had whipped around, looking incredibly pleased with his friend’s enthusiastic participation, while the twins stared wide-eyed at Sirius for the high note he just hit. 

Fabian threw his hands up, looking back around at James. “Why can’t he just sing the whole thing? He’s the only one who actually has a good voice,” he asked incredulously. “I mean… He makes a Wiggles song sound actually kind of sexy?”

James gaped at Fabian, a wounded look on his face, as Sirius quietly hummed the next verse and strummed the chords. “First of all,” James said forcefully, holding up one finger, “How dare you. I have a beautiful singing voice. And second, Fabian, this is for Harry. Are you saying that you don’t want to sing for Harry?”

“Are you saying that you don’t love Harry, Fabian? Is that it?” Sirius joined in eagerly, always happy to egg James on. 

Fabian made a choking sound, then lifted up his hands in an exasperated motion, “James, it’s not that we don’t, but we’ve met him, like, once. And he cried the whole time.” 

“I’ll have you know, men,” Sirius started melodramatically, “that Harry is absolutely the most extraordinary and gifted child ever born. He’s going to memorize his times tables by age 2, and his head is already the size of a large watermelon.” James, who had been nodding excessively up to that point, stopped abruptly and shot Sirius a distrustful look. “I think we can agree that he deserves a fruit salad treat from this talented ensemble,” Sirius concluded, cycling around to A, and inclining his head at the twins expectantly.

James’ head suddenly turned in the direction of the house as Sirius continued strumming and singing animatedly about peeling bananas and tossing in grapes, while Fabian and Gideon chimed in with back-up vocals and an impromptu dance routine. They were suddenly more motivated to perform now that Sirius had replaced James’ screeching. 

When Sirius eventually looked up and saw that Remus and his friend had arrived, and were less than ten feet away, he was finishing off a particularly spirited line about eating apples. His eyes widened and his strumming slowed to a halt, and a huge smile lit up his face. 

“Don’t stop on our account,” Remus said softly as he approached with a shorter, blond man in tow. Remus was wearing a loose dark brown sweater, a corner of the hem tucked casually along the waistband of his blue jeans. 

“Yeah, Sirius! You haven’t even gotten to the clean-up part yet. Don’t leave everyone hanging,” James quipped and slapped Sirius hard on the back.

Regulus had stood up from the opposite side of the fire at that. “Enough of that hideous song,” he said as he walked toward the newcomers, ignoring James’ cry of effrontery and Sirius’ snort. “Hi, I’m Regulus Black,” he said, holding out his hand. “And you’re Remus Lupin.” 

Remus laughed, but Regulus’ face was stoic as he maintained a truly intense level of eye contact. “Yes, that’s me,” he replied, nonplussed, eyes locking with Regulus’. “You’re Sirius’ brother?” 

“Indeed,” Regulus responded simply, “And this is my lovely fiancee, Amanda,” Regulus said, turning to gesture back toward Amanda, who waved pleasantly from her spot around the fire.

Remus inclined his head kindly toward Amanda and said, addressing the whole group, “This is my best friend Peter -- we grew up together,” Remus wrapped an arm around the man grinning beside him, wearing a navy blue zip-up sweater and khaki shorts.

“Good to meet you, Peter,” Regulus offered, then turned the subject abruptly back to Remus before Peter could get a word out. “Incredible job yesterday,” Regulus offered sincerely. “You’re the reason that America won the relay, otherwise Sirius would have gotten all gold.” He gave Remus a nod and started to walk back toward the fire, not waiting for an answer.

Sirius held back a laugh at the perplexed look on Remus’ face, set down his guitar and stood up to open up the cooler. “Remus, Peter, can I grab you a beer? Our competitions are over, so I won’t accept any excuses.” He handed both men a bottle before grabbing one for himself. “And I’m already on my fourth, time to catch up.” 

“Gladly,” Peter replied with a grateful sigh. “I haven’t even been competing but I’m exhausted from all the stress of watching Remus. I don’t know how you all do it.”

“Because we’re sick and demented,” James chimed in. “Especially this prat,” James said, nudging Sirius. “He’ll be back in four years doing it all over again.” 

Peter almost choked on his beer in surprise. Sirius and Remus turned toward him in confusion, having missed whatever joke made Peter laughed, while James wore a proud look on his face. “Sorry,” Peter began to explain, “I’m not used to hearing British lingo. I have probably only heard the word ‘prat’ a handful of times, it’s fantastic.” 

“That’s brilliant, mate, I love it. Go on, give me your best Brit impression,” James egged on, seemingly excited about Peter’s interest in their vernacular.

Peter broke out into an eager smile, happy to have forged a connection with someone so quickly. “Okay, okay. Let me think...” Peter said. He looked over at Sirius suddenly and gestured at him, his next words coming out as a truly horrific excuse for a British accent, “What’s this, uh, nob doing over here wearing a leather jacket on a beach?” James barked and grabbed him by the shoulder, and Peter continued, feeling encouraged, “Couldn’t just settle for a jumper like a bloody normal bloke, huh?”

James was doubled over and guffawing now, absolutely thrilled about this turn of events at Sirius’ expense, and Peter beamed at his new comrade. Sirius, on the other hand, cocked his head to the side and looked around blankly as if someone had just made a bad joke that didn’t land; his eyes settled on Remus, who was biting his lip and grimacing at Peter, obviously feeling a similar emotion. 

“I, for one, approve of the leather jacket,” Remus insisted quietly as Sirius felt a warm hand touch his forearm. He guided Sirius away, leaving James and Peter to pick up where they had left off. They took seats across from Regulus and Amanda, who were perched side-by-side on a log in front of the fire, configuring s’mores ingredients around them.

“Glad someone likes it,” Sirius started, crossing an ankle over his left knee and looking over at Remus, “And glad you came, Remus. I was a little worried you wouldn’t show up.” 

Remus tilted his head and gave Sirius a small smile. “Of course I showed up. Been looking forward to this,” he said, and Sirius couldn’t help but smile back. After a moment, Remus’ attention was drawn to another voice coming from across the fire, and Sirius followed his gaze toward Amanda.

“Now, we have to keep in mind that the chocolate bars already come with pre-perforated squares,” Amanda said to Regulus, holding up a piece of chocolate, a didactic expression on her face. “And they are smaller in surface area”, she paused to hold up a graham cracker square with her other hand, “than the graham crackers.” She dropped both hands and turned her gaze to Reg, who was listening with rapt attention. “So we have to make a choice. Do we double up the chocolate squares and risk it melting over the sides, or are we comfortable with the edges not having full chocolate coverage?”

“I suggest we test both approaches.” Regulus said as he turned to look up at Peter, who had just approached the ice chest to rummage through beer options for him and James. “Peter, would you like to be our s’mores tester?” Regulus called over, not waiting for Pete to agree before gesturing him over. “Bring your beer over here and settle in.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Pete said good-naturedly as he sat down on a log and ground his beer into the sand, and Regulus put a friendly hand on his shoulder for a moment. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen Peter happier in his entire life,” Remus said in a hushed whisper, leaning toward Sirius as they watched Regulus interrogate Peter about his preference between burnt or balanced marshmallows. 

“Knowing these perfectionists, it’s only going to get more ridiculous from here.” Sirius responded. Remus laughed and lifted his bottle to his lips, both men continuing to take in the s’mores interaction with increasing levels of amusement.

“Well, I’m glad he’s having fun,” Remus remarked to Sirius, “I brought him as a buffer, you know, in case things were awkward.” Sirius quietly chuckled and nodded. “But look at him over there, it’s like I don’t even exist.” 

Sirius looked over at Remus. “So, is it?” he asked, and then clarified when Remus looked perplexed, “Awkward, I mean.” 

“Oh,” Remus said, pushing up the sleeve of his sweater and rubbing at his forearm, appearing as though he was thinking hard about that question. “No, surprisingly. No, not at all.” 

“Good. Well, Reg was right, by the way,” Sirius said, nudging Remus’ shoulder with his own. “You were amazing in the relay yesterday.” 

“It felt amazing. It’s exactly how I wanted my last race to be.” Sirius hummed in understanding and then Remus tacked on, looking at Sirius side-long, “Plus it was nice to be the only one to beat you this year at something, even if it was a relay.”

Sirius barked out a laugh. “Right, always an added bonus,” he said, “But, especially after your performance in Sydney, I still can’t believe you’re choosing to retire.”

“Why’s that?” Remus asked in response, pushing up his other sleeve and picking up a large gray pebble out of the sand at his feet.

Sirius replied after a moment of contemplation, “I don’t know what I would do without the structure of it all. The purpose.”

Remus slid the smooth stone around in his hand in thought, elbows resting relaxedly on his knees, then looked over at Sirius with a faraway smile. “I suppose that’s the whole fun of it all to me. I’ll fill my time up other things that I care about,” he said, then moved his hand in a circular motion, “instead of laps, laps, laps, and more laps.” Sirius was about to ask what those other things were, when he registered a figure approaching.

Remus startled when James’ voice suddenly sounded near his right ear. “Remus, how do you like the bonfire?” he asked in an unidentifiable tone.

“It’s great, James,” Remus said through a laugh, coming down from his impish entrance, and wheeled his head around to look at him. “Big fan of--” 

“Sirius started it,” James cut in, coming around to kneel directly between them. Sirius shot James a glare that clearly said ‘don’t’, prompting James to tack on unnecessarily, “He was absolutely brilliant, knew exactly what he was doing. We would have been hopeless without him, probably frozen to death,” James reflected heavily, now turning his gaze toward the fire as Sirius’ eyes bored holes into his head from his left.

“James, it’s sixty degrees out, and I used matches,” Sirius said dryly, abandoning the glare and rubbing his face with his hand in defeat. 

James reigned his gaze back in and turned again to Sirius, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and squeezing tight. “Right, but you knew how to get it going with little twigs and shit. And then you made sure it didn’t die out, coaxed it into maturity. And look at it now...” James inhaled deeply before releasing an equally dramatic sigh, “a full-grown fire, that you, Sirius Black, started.” Sirius rubbed the side of his face again, waiting impatiently for the topic to pass. James gestured to the fire pit as he turned back to Remus, “And do you see the placement of the logs? Are they not the most perfectly placed logs, Remus?”

After a beat, Remus’ bemused expression morphed as something clicked into place. He bit his bottom lip to keep his smile from expanding, then said, “Now that you’ve pointed it out, James, it really is the best fire I have ever seen. Ideal log to flame ratio, heat radius, all of it. You’ll have to tell me your secret, Sirius.”

“Brilliant!” James proclaimed, clapping Sirius on the shoulder, “My work here is done.” James stood up swiftly, and Remus’ eyes followed him as he walked over to Peter, then made their way back to Sirius. 

“So you read that terrible article, I take it,” Remus asked in an even voice.

Sirius turned his torso to face Remus, steeling himself for a moment. “Remus, I am going to level with you. I read the article,” he conceded in a more dignified tone than warranted. Remus threw his head back in laughter, and Sirius committed the sound to memory as he continued, raising an index finger, “But no. Correction, Remus. Not terrible.” 

Sirius then brought his fingertips to his lips in a gesture of deep introspection and tilted his head. Remus shook silently as he surmised that Sirius was preparing to launch into a speech. He was correct. “Before I read it, I thought the world was a cold, dead place. A true nihilist. I told myself, ‘No, Sirius, genuine goodness doesn’t exist. Give up, you sod. Just take your ridiculous jacket and piss off to a cave somewhere’.” 

“You’re an idiot,” Remus observed and quickly took a drink to hide his amusement.

“And then I thought, ‘if only someone in the world existed who would… oh, I don’t know, spend hours chasing down a sad, abandoned dog and give it a second chance and a loving home.’” Sirius paused when Remus choked on his beer, smirked proudly, then picked up right where he left off. “‘And if only that angel with such a charitable spirit could be.... I don’t know, a world-renowned athlete?’ Now that would give me hope. That would make be believe the world is worth living in again.”

“Right,” Remus said playing along, “and then what happened? Connect the dots for me.”

“I just happened upon this strange American magazine,” Sirius explained in a tone of enchanted wonder as he dropped a hand down heavily on his knee. “Totally random, as if it fell from the sky one day.”

“You just found it,” Remus repeated slowly with a nod.

“Exactly, Remus. Just…” Sirius paused and fluttered his fingers nonsensically, and said, “lying about.” Remus snorted adorably, distracting Sirius for a moment; he lifted the bottle to his lips, eyes settling on him for a moment as the light of the flames cast long shadows underneath his cheekbones. 

“And this publication, it opened my eyes, my life was forever changed, my crops started flourishing. Because not only is the guy on the cover a ten out of ten… no, no really, Remus, you should see him, then you wouldn’t be laughing.” Sirius felt emboldened by the blush that began to creep up from Remus’ neck. “So not only is this guy a piece of fine art, but -- you’re going to think I am making this up, but I swear I’m not -- he rescued a dog and just so happens to be one of the top swimmers in the world.” Sirius threw his hands dramatically into the air. “Faith in humanity restored. Best magazine ever,” he proclaimed with finality.

Remus laughed while he stood up to grab two more bottles from the ice chest. He conceded while popping the caps off, offering Sirius one as he began to stand up too, “Well, it was definitely over the top. I did it for my mom and have regretted it since the day it came out.” Remus took a drink, then followed with, “But I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy your description of it, almost makes it worth it even.” Sirius held Remus’ gaze, thinking that the teasing smile being sent in his direction was too good to look away from. Sirius inclined his head in the direction of the ocean and Remus nodded, and they both stood up. Wordlessly, they began walking together toward the beach.

Sirius watched Remus while he took in the sight of the ocean and night sky as they approached the shore. They walked along, parallel to the tide line. The moment felt right, maybe because of the easiness of their conversation, or the privacy, or the five beers, but probably all three. 

Sirius cleared his throat. “So,” he said hesitantly, dragging a heel along the wet sand. Remus looked over to him expectantly. “Athens?” 

At that, Remus slid a hand into the pocket of his jeans and released a small laugh at the ground, and in that moment, Sirius knew this topic had been on his mind just as much as his own. He nodded, looking to his left again at Sirius, and said, “Right. We should.”

“Yeah. Something about an elephant in the room, right?” Sirius said softly, pulling at the hair at the base of his neck, an old nervous habit that didn’t surface very often. “I don’t remember exactly what it was that I said. But I know I wasn’t in a good spot then, and I didn’t treat people respectfully, you especially. You just called me out on it. I am really sorry I pushed you that far,” he finished.

Remus looked out toward the ocean again, pace slowing down just a touch. “You really did piss me off, and I know my anger at you was justified. But, I’ve been thinking about this a lot, Sirius -- I never should have hit you, no matter what you said or did to antagonize me,” Remus shared in a pained voice and scrunched up his face sharply for a moment, as if trying to will that particular memory out of existence. “And I should have been the one to bring this up and clear the air sooner, years ago even. I really am very, very sorry,” he said softly, gazing intently at Sirius, the line between his eyebrows deepening.

Sirius nodded. “You’re forgiven, Remus,” Sirius assured with a small smile. But the line between Remus’ eyebrows didn’t disappear, so Sirius inclined his head toward him for a moment to make sure Remus could see that he was serious. “But tell me, what exactly did I say?” He asked, raising the hand that was holding his beer to brush a lock of hair out of his face.

Remus lolled his head forward again and stared, unfocused, at the sand a few feet in front of them, lips pulling into a line as he considered the question. “It wasn’t any one thing, Sirius. And really, on any other day, I would have been able to let whatever you’d said roll off me, like I had been, but you’d caught me at the worst possible time; all I wanted to do was get the hell out of that locker room and to the airport, and you weren’t letting me.”

Sirius nodded in acknowledgment, making a conscious effort not to cringe at the visual of his 21-year-old self. “Yeah. What was going on that day for you?” 

“My dad was rushed to the hospital. I barely made it back to be with him before he passed,” he said gently, and Sirius buried his face in his hand. 

“Fuck, I am such an arse,” he groaned, words coming out barely audible. He pressed the heel of his hand against his eye socket for a moment before looking back up with a solemn expression. “I had guessed that he’d passed away sometime shortly after Athens, but I didn’t realize...”

Remus nodded and only broke eye contact with Sirius for a moment as he reached back into his memory about that day. “He’d been battling brain cancer for a long time, in and out of remission for most of my high school years. Four months before Athens, we found out that his latest surgery didn’t work, and it was spreading even more aggressively. We knew that this was it, that he had a few months left with us at most.” Remus turned forward again and continuing after a moment, “I guess it was just instinct, after seeing him fight it for so long. The three of us knew it was different this time.” 

Sirius watched Remus as he breathed out heavily and ran a thumb under his bottom lip, then opened his mouth again after a moment. “My mom decided to stay in Nevada, and I didn’t even want to compete anymore,” Remus said. He shook his head, trying to find the right words, “But I did, at the same time. Seeing his son swim at the Olympics was so important to him.”

“Did he at least get to watch all your races on TV? And The medal ceremonies?” Sirius asked softly. He didn’t want to force this topic on Remus if he didn’t want to discuss it or intrude on personal memories that weren’t his business. Remus smiled right away, seeming grateful for an opportunity to talk about his dad.

“Most of them. Mom made sure. I’m so grateful for that,” Remus said heavily, looking over at Sirius. He huffed a laugh a moment later, tacking on, “You know, he told me on the phone after I medaled in medley ‘at least I got to see my son swim breastroke at the Olympics in this life, even though it only lasted about 18 seconds’. He was a goofball, so full of love, and such a kind person, even when he was too weak or nauseous to stand up.” Sirius hummed softly in response, watching Remus’ face and wishing he could see the years of memories he knew were playing out in his mind like a movie reel. 

Remus looked forward again and continued, “But back in the locker room after my last event, my coach burst in to find me. My mom had called him right before my race started -- she discovered dad was unresponsive in bed that morning, and he was rushed to the hospital. Kingsley had packed an overnight bag for me and found a flight that was leaving for the States in two hours, and Caradoc was arranging for a cab. All I needed to do was shove the gear from my locker inside that bag and get to the airport. I was absolutely terrified I wouldn’t get home in time, and I was just tearing through the locker room like a hurricane, I can barely even remember it.”

Sirius was quiet, listening. For a few moments, the tide and their rhythmic footfalls were the only sounds.

“And then,” Remus said, rubbing at his eye as he released a small laugh, as if in disbelief, “And then, there you were.” He looked over suddenly with a serious expression, eyes locking with Sirius’. “And when I say what I’m about to say, I mean it about who I thought you were back then. I don’t see you this way now, yeah?” Remus assured.

Sirius smiled apprehensively. “Yes, got it,” he said, ambling forward with a couple of exaggeratedly long strides, “Thank you for making the distinction.” 

“So you’re this amazing swimmer, just incredible raw talent,” Remus began, gesturing passionately with his free hand. “And I wanted to respect you, but I could not fucking stand your attitude,” he said, dropping his hand against his thigh with a thud. “Arrogance is a trait I have a really hard time handling to begin with, but on top of that you’d make snide comments or give me these looks as you passed me in the locker room, or after one of my races, and you weren’t much more sportsmanlike to anyone else on or off your team from what I could tell. But especially to me. There was one totally unnecessary comment you made about the freestyle race I narrowly lost to Hungary, where I realized you were intent on antagonizing me. So you’re getting on my nerves, and on top of that, you’re still an absolutely exceptional swimmer. You were winning despite going out nearly every night and hooking up with tons of guys--”

“Wait, you knew back then?” Sirius cut in, brow furrowed in confusion for a moment.

Remus looked over at him with his eyebrows raised. “Yeah, I knew,” Remus replied lightly, taking a drink, before jumping back in. “Meanwhile, I’m just trying to get through these events in one piece so I can get home to my dad; he’s literally all I can think about the whole time. And you know... I’m a little wiser now about what you were going through, but back then I had no clue. Back then, I thought you were this rich, obnoxious prick who somehow got to fuck around yet still sweep your events, all while being patronizing to the athletes around you, which was the worst part. So when you blocked me from getting out of that locker room, I just lost it.” 

Sirius hummed softly. 

Remus reached out a hand to grasp Sirius’ shoulder. “But in reality, you were only a fraction of my frustration, Sirius. I was stuck in Athens doing this thing I had worked my whole life towards, and I just wanted nothing more than to ditch it and be with my dad. I’ve thought a lot about this the last few days, when I realized maybe I’ve had the wrong idea of you this entire time; that hanging onto the wrong idea of you was just a way to rationalize my reaction that day, for all this time. At any other point in my life, our interaction in that locker room would have been nothing. I would have politely told you off, and it never would have escalated any further.” 

Sirius’ eyes flit briefly in the general direction of Remus’ hand before settling on Remus’ face. “I see that,” he observed softly, “Bad timing… for both of us.” Remus nodded in agreement, and his hand slid a couple inches down the back of Sirius’ arm before dropping down at his side again. “So why was I such an appealing target for you? Seemed like you saved your worst for me, or was I imagining things?” 

Sirius laughed darkly, “Yeah, you were special.” He took a long pause, thinking about how to properly communicate the real answer, because there was so much to say. “Your earlier description of me was right to a large extent. Almost everything was so easy for me; I mean, training was always a bitch, but I loved it anyway. I grew up in one of the most powerful and wealthy families in western Europe you’ve never heard of -- I was set up with the best private school education money could buy, played half a dozen instruments, massive trust fund. Both Regulus and me.” Sirius paused heavily and lifted a hand to rub at his chin, mind racing with all of the things he wanted Remus to know. He settled on, “But all those bells and whistles came with very heavy stipulations about who I could be.” 

He’d thought before about what he’d say to Remus when the topic of Athens came up, if it ever came up. There was a lot to say about why Sirius showed up in his life the way he did then. He was dealt an exceptional hand in my ways, growing up with opportunities and niceties that others -- including Remus -- could only dream of, things that made it harder for people to understand. Sirius hoped his explanation would land somewhere in the middle of too much and not enough.

“My relationship with my parents had turned very volatile in my early teens when Regulus was still little. I don’t think he remembers much of it because I tried to shield him. Some of it was the normal tension you have with Mum and Dad, like what I saw at the Potters’, where there was still affection, but most of it was… unique to the Black way of bringing up your kids,” Sirius said, simplifying a complex upbringing.

“Yeah,” Remus commented quietly, “I think I’m starting to get it.” 

“The day I turned 18, I left the house and moved in with James, which was the best decision I could have made for my career,” Sirius continued, “I was out from under my parents’ thumb, and they absolutely hated it of course, but I was able to put all of my energy into swimming, and I knew that was what I needed to do -- and I felt that they would understand it all once I started getting recognition as an athlete, which fortunately didn’t take long.”

Sirius noticed Remus’ eyes on him, and he swallowed, a little nervous for some reason. He hadn’t talked about this time in his life with very many people, and certainly not in this detail, outside of James and Lily. 

He took a breath and continued on, “Fast forward just a few months, and I was dominating competitions, attracting media coverage, started getting advertising contracts, made it to the Olympics. It was as if a new world had opened up to me, one completely independent of my parent’s expectations. I didn’t need, or crave, their approval as much anymore. When I succeeded in swimming, I finally got some validation, and the pressure to be the exact version of Sirius Black that they wanted was gone, just like that—,” Sirius looked at Remus and snapped his fingers, “With that new freedom, I kind of spun out, but I didn’t know I was spinning out. I looked like -- and I felt like -- I had everything figured out, but in reality I was miserable. And my unhappiness came out in ways that are so obvious to me now, looking back.” Sirius elaborated, rubbing at his chin again, “The narcissism, incessant partying, getting pissed out of my mind as often as possible, pushing people away.” 

Sirius paused to look over at Remus, who readily held his gaze, waiting with rapt attention for Sirius to continue. “And I certainly didn’t realize this then, but now I have more perspective. Remus, you were a lot of things that I wished I could be,” he said simply, looking out across the beach.

“That’s something that I have wondered about, actually,” Remus began in response. He looked over to Sirius after a moment and continued, “Why were you hiding your sexuality? That’s what you are referring to, right? You’ve never seemed like the type of person to monitor or subdue who you are because others won’t like it. I don’t understand that part.”

“Yeah, I see why you’d ask that,” Sirius replied, nodding in Remus’ direction, “Like I said, my parents had some very specific rules around who I would become. There were decisions made for me, and it was my role especially as the eldest Black to accept them all without pushback; all of my relatives are this way, it’s not particularly unique just to me. My parents had always told me I could either become a lawyer or go into investment banking, and what I might want for my own life just didn’t factor in there anywhere.” 

Sirius paused and ran a hand through his hair. After a moment, he laughed darkly, and continued, “You know, they had everything planned out for me from the time I was born, including the girl they expected me to marry. And ultimately, choosing a different but just as successful career from what they had in mind was one thing, but me being gay? That didn’t fit into the family’s image at all, as you can imagine. No way.”

“Oh dear,” Remus mused, catching Sirius’ eye with a knowing smile that was bordering on a grimace.

“Exactly,” Sirius said through another laugh. “So they had this particular expectation that I was never going to meet, even if I tried, and it made me so miserable because I was young and too immature to understand that the problem was them and not me. I didn’t understand that what they wanted didn’t actually have to dictate my life, which is why I think I was so bitter towards you. You seemed to make everybody around you happy simply by being yourself, and I wished I could have that.”

“So you were locking yourself in your own prison by telling yourself that the life you wanted was wrong,” Remus said resolutely in response, voice cutting through the air clear as a bell.

“Yes, it felt like a prison,” Sirius repeated, almost thrown off by the accuracy of the metaphor. “But the funny part of it all is that Alexa, the girl that they had always wanted me to marry is fantastic. Her parents are friends with my family, the Blacks and Carrows go way back. They are pretty awful, but not her. We were born within 3 months of each other and were close friends all through secondary school, even kind of dated for a short time, if you could call it that. Had I been straight, I’m sure I would have married her eventually.” 

“Are you two still close at least?” Remus asked. 

“Ah, no. Unfortunately not,” Sirius responded. He wasn’t thrilled to go into detail about this relationship, but she was an integral part of the story. He continued, “I actually never told her I was gay, and she never figured it out. I was a good actor; always played the card of the gentleman anytime we had an opportunity to be alone together, so nothing physical ever happened. We had such a great connection that I think she always had it in the back of her mind that we would eventually end up together if she waited long enough. Why wouldn’t she? I never led her to believe anything different; I probably even encouraged it because a stupid part of me thought maybe it would magically happen someday, even though by around that time, I’d started consistently seeing a bloke, one of Reg’s good friends, in secret. It was really selfish and I wish I had been truthful to her in retrospect.”

Remus raised his eyebrows and breathed in slowly before contributing, “What a mess.” 

“I know, Remus. But this is why I am so much happier now,” Sirius said, emphasized with a small smile. He continued, “When the world found out that I was gay, she did too. And she was absolutely furious, but that feeling was fueled by hurt and disappointment. Told me that I had dragged her along for years just so that I could have a security blanket. And she was spot on, of course. She reamed into me in my living room, and I took it, and I think after she was done, when she realized none of this happened because I was trying to hurt her, things shifted. We aren’t friends, and we don’t talk anymore, but I know we both care for each other.”

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Remus started, “it must have been so hard to lose a friendship, especially then, when you probably needed it most. It feels even worse when you know that you’ve caused it. Regret is the worst feeling”

Sirius nodded. “It is. Hopefully one day I will be able to connect with her again. But it sounds like she is doing really well, at least from what Reg tells me.”

“Good.” Remus supplied optimistically. “So is this a taste of what you were going through in Athens then?”

“Yeah, that’s accurate,” Sirius said. “I had this fucked-up mindset that my only options were to either suppress my sexuality my whole life or get what I needed by sneaking around, and somehow I was never at a loss to find guys willing to keep it a secret. Which in retrospect probably only exacerbated the problem, because sex was always just this under-the-table thing for me, and I wasn’t going to allow it to become anything more. That just wasn’t an option. I never focused on making a real connection with anyone.”

Remus’ expression softened at that. “You must have felt completely alone.”

Sirius nodded. “Completely,” he replied. “And I looked at you, similar age and same career, and saw a much more secure, happier, version of myself. It seemed like you had such a solid foundation and support system. You weren’t hiding your sexuality, didn’t live a double life,” Sirius said, ”And I think I resented you for that.”

Remus nodded, taking in Sirius’ words with careful attention. “It makes sense. So what took you from there to here?” Remus said finally, gesturing between them.

Sirius laughed and bent down to pick up a seashell, before suggesting they turn around and start heading back. “Well, it all had to blow up at some point, yeah?” he said, dusting the sand off the small cowry as they walked in the direction of the bonfire. “I had almost completely isolated myself by Athens, and I had no idea the impact it would have. Hell, by then, even James and I were drifting apart,” he said.

Remus lifted his eyebrows in surprise and extended his hand out. “Really? How is it even possible for you two to drift apart? I never would have guessed.” 

Sirius nodded, dropping the shell in Remus’ palm, and supplied, “James loves me more than anyone in the world, but he doesn’t put up with my shit and thank god for that. He tried to encourage me to break the news to my family many times throughout our lives, but especially during the couple of years leading up to Athens when my career was taking off and they’d gotten used to the idea I wasn’t going to be a lawyer. I got more bitter towards him and just didn’t understand why he wanted me to make a big deal of everything when I thought it was all fine, more than fine, really, because they had actually started treating me like a son they were proud of. There was no way I was going to risk throwing that away after chasing it my whole life.” At that, Sirius noticed Remus visibly flinch. He sometimes forgot that the unstable love he grew up with wasn’t normal. 

“I eventually made myself believe he was just jealous of me and was trying to isolate me from my family, and I actually told him that. Not my proudest moment,” Sirius said, releasing a laugh that sounded more like a groan. “And that was it, he completely cut me off after Athens. ‘Tough love’, he said. There was only so much he could take, sure, but in reality he knew I needed to hit bottom if that’s what it took for me to figure my life out. I’d become this,” Sirius paused to search for the right word, “ghost of myself, I guess. I pushed away the people who genuinely cared about me and leaned into the people who brought me down, yet I had no actual interest in changing that. I preferred for things to stay the way they were because it felt safe in some twisted way. Terrible to say out loud, but it’s completely true.”

Sirius glanced over to see Remus’ eyes glued to his. “Wow,” Remus said after a pause, then inhaled and exhaled deeply, offering the seashell back to Sirius. “I’m so sorry, Sirius. I had absolutely no idea this is what was going on,” he finished quietly, a frown pulling at his lips.

Sirius brought his hand out from his jacket pocket, ran it through his hair, and nodded at Remus. He continued after a moment, “So at that point, I’d won all these medals in Athens, I was getting recognized on the street, and I had never been so unhappy and alone. That was when I started getting careless. I was skipping practices or showing up late, I’d ignore Alexa’s texts, I’d go out almost every night, end up with some guy I couldn’t even remember the next morning, then go to my parents’ dinner parties hungover. It was almost like I wanted to be found out and have it all come to a head -- which, deep down I did. It was the only way out”

“I remember seeing the articles online,” Remus recalled, shaking his head. “It was brutal. How did you navigate it?”

Sirius lifted a hand reverently in the air, pointing toward the bonfire that was looming larger as they approached, and said, “James. I wasn’t alone for any of that. We hadn’t talked in at least two months, but he showed up at my door the morning that the media posted the pictures. I didn’t even know what had happened yet. I was just angry someone was breaking down my door at 9am after I’d gotten utterly wasted the night before.” 

“Yikes, what an awful surprise,” Remus said, laughing lightly and knitting his brows together.

Sirius laughed in agreement. “So he sat me down and said ‘everyone knows’ with this soul-piercing look I’ll never forget. I knew exactly what he was talking about, no explanation needed. I didn’t know how to respond. A part of me was terrified of the attention and a part of me just felt this profound sense of relief. I just sat there silent as James talked to me about how we were going to navigate this, together, no ‘I told so’ or anything. I was just so grateful that I still had this wonderful person in my life,” Sirius said, a smile playing at his lips as he thought about James. “So then I did what any reasonable person would do in that terrible situation,” Sirius added, voice dropping to a more somber pitch.

“What was that?” Remus whispered.

“I asked him to sing ‘Lullaby’ to me,” he deadpanned, looking out pensively across the ocean. It took a moment, but as Remus’ shoulders started shaking in silent laughter and his pace slowed to a halt, Sirius’ face burst into a smile.

Remus gained his composure and rose up to full height again, and his eyes suddenly moved away from Sirius to take in their surroundings with a look of slight surprise, as if he had been in a bubble for the last half hour. They were a few paces away from the bonfire. “I haven’t been too antisocial have I?” he asked Sirius.

Sirius responded with a half-smile, slightly nervous that Remus was perhaps missing the point of Sirius inviting him tonight. “Remus, you’re fine,” he assured, “but we can re-join them if you’d like. Looks like Peter is still having a grand time, good news there.” He nodded over across the firepit at Peter who, with a mix of chocolate and marshmallow on his face, was in the middle of telling a story and gesticulating wildly, clearly more than a few beers in.

Amanda glanced over from where she stood next to the fire, noticing the two men had come back, and waved. “Sirius, you’re up!” she called, “Burnt or balanced marshmallow in your s’more?” 

Sirius called back, “I’m not totally sure what burnt vs. balanced means in this context, but since I’ve never done anything balanced in my life: burn it, baby.”

“Lovely, give me three minutes,” Amanda chimed as she carefully placed another marshmallow on the roasting stick. 

Sirius followed Remus’ lead as he meandered to join the others around the fire, and they smiled at each other in parting. Sirius anxiously hoped for another opportunity to connect with Remus alone before the end of the night as he took a seat at the far edge of the group by Regulus, opposite from where Remus had seated himself next to Peter. Peter continued his monologue, which Sirius had surmised was a dental horror story, and that James was listening to with rapt attention.

Amanda called over lightly, “Remus, s’more? Burnt or balanced marshmallow?”

Remus turned to her when he heard his name. “Oh, definitely balanced,” he said with a smile, “Thanks Amanda.”

“Amanda, you angel...” Peter sang a second later, clearly very comfortable around this group of people he’d met not even two hours, and a lot of beers, ago. “Could you make me another after you finish with Remus’? Two chocolate squares this time?”

“Jesus Christ,” Regulus whispered under his breath, and Sirius turned to look at him curiously. “That’s his fifth.” Sirius snorted, not surprised by his brother’s overly keen observation; this was Regulus afterall. “And he’s a dentist,” Regulus added with a shudder, sounding as if he’d never recover from the offensiveness.

Sirius’ head bobbed in agreement from where it rested on his hand, and he turned to look ahead again. His eyes found Remus, whose face was arranged in a smile as he watched James teach Peter some wrestling moves in the sand. 

Sirius was relieved that Remus seemed to be enjoying the evening and they’d gotten to talk, but at the same time, a worry was nagging at him. Remus was leaving tomorrow, and then they would be in different continents.


	7. Chapter 7

Sirius continued to sit around the bonfire, lulled by the sound of his friends’ conversations and gentle waves crashing onto the shore. His thoughts pertaining to Remus’ impending departure were soon interrupted by two large figures with auburn hair who had just approached and were looking at him inquisitively. Gideon was gently presenting Sirius’ guitar atop his massive hands, as if it were a priceless, fragile heirloom.

“Sirius? Campfire songs...?” Gideon asked hopefully as Fabian bit his fist, hoping for a ‘yes’. The pureness of the request was adorable, of course Sirius couldn’t say no to that. When he took the guitar in acquiescence, the men whooped loudly.

“What would you like to hear? Throw anything out there. We can look up chords on my phone if I don’t already know the song,” Sirius said, focusing on re-tuning the strings after they’d gone out of whack from the humidity. The rest of the group started quieting down when they heard strings being plucked.

“Hmmm,” Gideon said, looking at Fabian and then at Sirius, “What are good campfire songs?”

Sirius looked up at the twins and rattled off a few options, “Tom Petty? The Beatles? CCR? Queen? Anything you guys want.” Sirius laughed that the onus of picking a song had been placed on him despite it being the twins’ idea.

“Okay, Tom Petty,” Fabian answered assuredly.

“Perfect,” Sirius responded as he pulled his pick out of his pocket. He raised his voice a little louder and spoke over to his right, “James, this one is dedicated to you and your team as you go forth for gold.” 

“For Britain!” Peter shouted as he pumped his fist in the air. James and the twins roared in response and echoed his words, thrusting their fists into the air as well. Sirius smiled and began strumming E minor before switching to D, then G, and launched into the opening lyrics of I Won’t Back Down.

James quickly joined in, and the two men held perfect rhythm together, which seemed ironic given the vast difference between their singing abilities. The twins and Peter joined in next, belting out an especially passionate “in a world that just keeps pushing me around, but I stand my ground”. It was also very drunken and slurred, which Remus seemed to notice too because he couldn’t stop laughing.

“James, any requests?” Sirius turned again to his best friend once the song had finished.

James’ eyes flashed with a hint of mischief as he answered brightly, “Sirius, I think since we are all in Sydney together, we should celebrate the best 80s band from Sydney.” Sirius lifted his eyebrows in intrigue, waiting for James to continue. “The Divinyls. You know the one,” James said and took a drink, raising his eyebrows at Sirius in challenge, and Sirius’ eyes immediately slammed shut. 

“Really? Really though?” Sirius asked pleadingly, but with a smile on his face, to which James nodded gravely. 

Although he probably wouldn’t have chosen to sing I Touch Myself in present company, he wasn’t going to disappoint his best friend. Sirius’ eyes quickly flickered to Remus as he began strumming a C chord, noting that his eyes were fixated on Sirius’ hands as his fingers rearranged on the strings. He suppressed a smile, forced himself not to look at Remus again for the remainder of the song. He released a small laugh of disbelief again before beginning the song in a soft voice.

Unlike the previous song, the rest of the party did not join in this time. They were in quiet awe of Sirius’ arrangement, which made a song they had all heard before sound so humid and full of longing. 

“I have chills,” Amanda offered as soon as Sirius’ hand stilled. “Through that performance, I have somehow become even more attracted to Regulus, if that makes any sense at all.” She looked over at Regulus, and he nodded back at her knowingly.

“Yeah, really, Sirius,” Gideon tacked on immediately and made an incredulous sound in his throat, “I mean, thank God -- for me -- that you’re gay. Otherwise, I would not stand a chance with women with you anywhere near.” Remus nearly spit out his beer at Gid’s comment, and Sirius’ lips curled up into a small smile, eyes still focused on the flustered man.

“Yeah. It’s almost as good as Fruit Salad, even,” James added with admiration. Sirius shook slightly with laughter, unable to deny that he enjoyed the over-the-top attention, even if it was a little embarrassing. He sat his guitar down next to him and walked a couple of steps to the cooler to grab a bottle of water. 

“Do you know any American country music, Sirius?” Remus asked.

Sirius’ head whipped around to Remus as he walked back to his guitar, excited he was chiming in. “I’m familiar with a little bit,” Sirius replied as he sat down again. “Not a huge presence in London of course, but I know some. Give me a song and, if I don’t know it, I’ll pull up the chords,” Sirius said, pulling out his phone and setting it on his knee, then added in Peter’s direction, “I just need Pete to chime in on vocals, I have a feeling he can do a much better country accent than I can.”

Remus laughed and rubbed his face with his hand when Peter practically started jumping up and down in excitement, shouting something about how it was finally his time to shine. Remus turned toward Sirius and asked, “Let’s go with Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show? Upbeat, and Peter definitely knows the lyrics. It’s our go-to bonfire song.” Sirius made a sound of vague recognition and started pulling up the chords, thinking that at that moment, he would have played anything that Remus wanted, no question.

Sirius brushed a strand of hair behind his ear, scrolling quickly through the chord progressions. It turned out this was a fairly simple song, and after a quick study, he started strumming, nodding at Peter when it was time to come in.

Peter launched in with no hesitation, donning an overdone American Southern accent, making all of the Brits nearly keel over laughing. James came in at some point, shamelessly and endearingly messing up most of the lyrics, pointing directly at Peter as he sang “I hear my baby callin’ my name and I know that he’s the only one” at him. But Sirius was mostly focused on watching Remus’ lips without being noticed, which were quietly singing along with the lyrics when he wasn’t throwing his head back in soft laughter at the spectacle in front of him. Sirius really was in awe of the shape of the man’s mouth, but he had to drag his eyes away from appreciating it before he missed a chord change at the chorus.

The group remained entertained for nearly an hour, requesting various songs from Sirius, singing along with some and listening raptly to Sirius perform on others. He was happy to oblige nearly all the requests -- except Regulus’ literally impossible request for Mariah Carey’s Emotions, which earned him confused looks from nearly everyone around the fire.

Sirius eventually shut the requests down for the night, and after chatting for a while with Fabian and Gideon, sat back to just observe the group. James and Peter had gone back to wrestling drunkenly, Reg was telling Remus about his law firm and Remus was asking Amanda where he could find her oil paintings. The twins were now competing to see who could complete the most burpees in two minutes. And Sirius was feeling the same jolt of anxiety that he had experienced earlier: he wasn’t sure how to get Remus alone again, and he had no idea how soon the man was going to leave. 

Sirius thought that separating himself from the group was probably his best bet. He grabbed his guitar and walked about a hundred feet away from the bonfire before sitting down in the sand. He laid down on his back, staring at the stars, just thinking and strumming. Eventually, his idle plucking morphed into Crimson and Clover, and shortly after he heard soft footsteps approaching.

“So, your brother is interesting,” a gentle voice sounded from behind him. Sirius paused and turned to smile at Remus as he sat down next to him in the sand. Sirius slipped his pick between two strings and placed the guitar to the side, then sat up halfway, leaning on his elbows.

“Isn’t he?” Sirius agreed wistfully.

“He was asking me all about hunting,” Remus laughed, looking off into the distance.

“Do you hunt?” Sirius asked, slightly twisting his body onto its right side to better face the man he was talking to.

“I have before. Some duck hunting mostly, but deer too, just with my dad. We both preferred fishing though,” Remus replied and then paused. A small smile was tugging at his lips, and he continued on in a voice coated in apprehensive amusement, “He was very curious about skinning the animals. A little too curious, maybe?”

“Oh yeah, he’s dangerous. Don’t go falling asleep around that one,” Sirius said nonchalantly, drumming his fingers in the sand, as Remus tilted his head back in a silent laugh. 

“Sound advice,” Remus noted. “Amanda is great, by the way,” he followed a moment later, gesturing behind them toward the sleepy woman who had her head resting on Regulus’ shoulder. 

Sirius hummed and looked up at Remus. “Right, and you can fall asleep around her without concern for your safety. I love Amanda, couldn’t have picked a better girl for him,” Sirius said sincerely, then paused a moment as if deciding whether or not to continue. He chose the former. “My greatest fear was that Reg would end up with a woman who was like our family. He was always so much more like them than I ever was. Stoic and polite. Deliberate.”

“And a potential serial killer?” It was Sirius’ turn to throw his head back in laughter. When he looked back at Remus, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the effortless smile lighting up his face. 

He replied in a tone of faux reverence, “Wow, Lupin. You’ve only just met him and you’ve already got him pegged. I’m impressed.”

“I think the question about the cleanest way to drain a deer’s blood was the giveaway, didn’t take a lot of brainpower to figure out,” Remus quipped before turning his attention downward. His hand was aimlessly drawing shapes in the sand with a stick, giving Sirius the impression that he was deep in thought about something. The two men remained quiet for a couple minutes as they watched the waves crashing onto the beach and listened to the laughter of their friends coming from behind them.

“What time does your flight leave tomorrow?” Sirius broke the silence with a question he had been wondering about all night.

“Early,” Remus said, punctuating the word with a tap of the stick in the sand before tossing it aside, “8am, and I’ll probably leave for the airport at around 5:30.” Sirius hummed and leaned back to pull his phone from his jeans. His face lit up for a moment in the dark as he checked the time.

“It’s almost 11,” he announced, dropping the phone back in his jacket pocket. “Do you need to leave soon?”

“Soonish,” Remus confirmed. The silence hung in the air between them for a few moments until Remus mussed up his hair reflexively, right hand lingering at the back of his head as if steeling himself to speak. Then Sirius felt sand wash over his fingers when Remus’ hand landed down beside his. “Sirius?” Remus asked, after a beat, cocking his head to the side as Sirius turned to face him.

Sirius hummed in answer as he met Remus’ eyes’ dead-on. In this low light, they were orbs of dark magic, all those flecks of gold muted. 

“Why did you invite me here,” Remus asked in a low voice, pausing to gesture toward Sirius’ friends and family behind them, not breaking their gaze, “with all of this tonight?”

Sirius broke eye contact simply to take in more of Remus’ expression, then zoned back in, as if an invisible cord kept their eyes connected. “I think you already know that,” he replied evenly.

“Wasn’t just to make amends, right?” He clarified in a voice that suggested he already knew the answer.

The corner of Sirius’ mouth flickered at his tone. “No, not just to make amends.” 

Remus sighed through his nose, before turning his head back in the direction of the ocean and pulling out his phone. 

It was silent while Remus navigated the screen. “Sixteen minutes away,” Remus noted mildly after requesting a ride back to the Village, sliding his phone back in his pocket. He stood up, then smiled and offered a hand down. “Walk me to the front of the house?” It was a question, but Sirius heard the command behind it.

Sirius grabbed hold of Remus’ outstretched wrist and pulled himself up, slowly batting the sand off of his hands and jeans as he asked, “Of course. Do you need to say goodbye to Peter or anything?”

“Nope, I already did. Come on,” Remus said quickly, nodding his head in the direction of his future ride. Sirius followed the other man’s lead and silently walked beside him toward the house, his pulse quickening. They walked past the bonfire, distracted, hardly noticing the rest of the party cheering as Fabian and Gideon competed to see who could walk the furthest on their hands in the sand.

Once they had made it to the outside of the house, they turned a corner and were no longer in view of the bonfire. Remus wheeled around and suddenly they were facing each other, and Sirius took hold of Remus’ wrist for the second time that night to pull their bodies closer. Sirius carefully watched his face as Remus inhaled sharply and his eyes fluttered shut for a moment and opened again, looking darker than before. 

Sirius leaned his face forward an inch; their foreheads were almost touching. “Tell me if I’m reading this wrong,” he breathed with soft urgency.

Remus’ breath hitched. “You’re definitely not,” he whispered, sliding his free hand under Sirius’ hair to wrap around the back of his neck, as if to send that message home.

Remus’ response was all the encouragement that Sirius needed, and he pressed his lips to his. Remus responded immediately, lightly parting their mouths and pulling Sirius even closer with the hand that had wound itself into his hair now. Remus’ lips were chilled and salty from the evening ocean air; and when his bottom lip slipped soundly between Sirius’ own, Sirius was intoxicated by the cool sensation of peppermint. 

All apprehension gone, their mouths danced slow and languid, breath coming and going in short satisfied sounds as they settled into the kiss. When Remus’ teeth grazed Sirius’ bottom lip, eliciting a deep sigh from both of them, their pace started to quicken, and Remus released his wrist from Sirius’ grip to press his hand hungrily to Sirius’ hip underneath his shirt. His thumb moved along the waistband of Sirius’ jeans, circling lightly around his hip bone, dipping lower with each motion. Sirius groaned at the touch, and Remus pulled away to draw slow kisses up his neck and along the line of his jaw.

“Fuck, you’re so sexy,” Remus muttered against Sirius’ ear, and he shivered as the combination of the words and heat against his neck were becoming too much. 

Moving against what his body was actually screaming for, Sirius placed his hand firmly on Remus’, not allowing it any lower. He groaned again, more regretfully this time, and leaned his head into the crook of Remus’ shoulder. 

“You’re absolutely killing me. You have no idea,” he drawled in a low growl. He took a deep breath before pulling his head back up, where he noted some uncertainty in Remus’ eyes. At that, he leaned his forehead against Remus’, drawing on an almost painful level of self-restraint, and traced a thumb across his cheekbone. “I’m trying to show you I’m serious about… all this,” Sirius assured with darkened eyes that flicked down to take in Remus’ lightly-parted lips, feeling no misgivings now about staring at this man’s perfect mouth.

Remus raised his eyebrows, and a second later, Sirius watched as a small amused smile played across his lips. He moved his left hand to cup Sirius’ face and tenderly kissed his mouth, pulling the hem of Sirius’ shirt toward him with his right hand as he sought closer contact again. “So what do you want to do? I’m leaving in five minutes,” Remus reminded Sirius.

Sirius pulled back from the kiss, his lips lingering an inch away from Remus’. “Let me visit you once you get back from your trip,” he said, and although he whispered softly, the request was lined with unmistakable assuredness.

Remus pulled back slightly as he registered Sirius’ words, a look of complete surprise washing over his face. “You want to come to the States?” Remus asked, blinking twice.

Sirius wrapped a finger around Remus’ belt loop and pulled him even closer, a movement to which the other man seemed happy to oblige. He hummed and placed another kiss to the corner of Remus’ slightly agape mouth, then drug his lips up to Remus’ ear. “Desperately,” he sighed before planting another kiss at his pulse point. 

Sirius heard Remus’ voice hitch, followed by... a breathy laugh. Unexpected. At that, Sirius pulled back with his eyebrows raised, waiting for Remus to elaborate. “I’m just so surprised,” Remus managed to say as he rubbed his face with his left hand, unsuccessfully shielding the giddy smile playing at his lips. 

Sirius pulled his body back an inch further and inclined his head toward Remus. “In a good way, I hope?” Sirius asked, narrowing his eyes playfully. 

Remus nodded before exhaling deeply and dropping the hand from his face. He moved to circle his arms around Sirius’ waist and pulled their bodies flush again, causing Sirius’ eyes to darken once more, and urged heavily, “Please come to Tahoe.” 

Sirius reacted instantaneously, crashing his lips back onto Remus’ and setting an enthusiastic pace that Remus immediately matched. His left hand slipped past the hem of Sirius’ shirt to splay against his lower back, craving the warmth of Sirius’ smooth skin; he smiled into the kiss when Sirius moaned against his him, clearly marked by both satisfaction and frustration. Feeling the curve of Remus’ smile against his lips, Sirius wrapped both hands tightly around Remus’ narrow hips and pressed their lower bodies together, smiling in turn at the guttural whimper that escaped Remus’ throat. 

Sirius’ tongue flicked against Remus’ bottom lip in apology, only he wasn’t sorry at all when Remus made another overwhelmed sound, some cross between a sigh and a growl, and grabbed at the collar of Sirius’ jacket. “And this thing,” Remus sighed in between kisses that had become increasingly more disjointed and breathy, “Is really really good on you.” Sirius replied with a low laugh, heady off the fact that they had this effect on each other.

As the sound of a car’s engine approached, the men slowly pulled their mouths apart, but neither released their hold on the other yet. “I’ll be back in Tahoe in two weeks,” Remus supplied airily, gradually releasing the leather from his clutch, working on catching his breath.

Sirius nodded and traced his thumb along Remus’ slightly swollen bottom lip. “Will your phone work between now and then?” Sirius asked.

“Off and on, but mostly yes,” Remus replied with a small smile, and Sirius’ heart leapt at his own look of affection mirrored on the other man’s face. 

“Wonderful. I will text you about timing,” Sirius said in a voice that was still hoarse with want, and reached into his pocket. “A souvenir,” he said, holding up the seashell and depositing it into the front pocket of Remus’ jeans. His eyes flicked from Remus’ face, which was now peeled into an amused grin, to the black sedan that was rolling up the street.

Remus looked out, his smile deflating for a moment into a comical frown as the car pulled up to the house. Sirius grabbed Remus’ hands and retreated a step, rubbing circles on them with his thumbs; he gave himself a few extra seconds to marvel at what had quickly become his favorite of Remus’ smiles, the crooked one that looked like he was biting the inside corner of his bottom lip.

Remus leaned in to place one last firm kiss on Sirius’ mouth, then let his hands go and walked backward a few steps, still holding Sirius’ gaze. “You are not at all what I expected, Black,” he observed, opening the door.

Sirius dropped his left hand into his jacket pocket and replied in a tone of faux mysteriousness, “Just keeping you on your toes, Lupin.” He gave the man one last smile before waving a final goodbye. “Have a safe flight, Remus.” 

“Talk to you soon, Sirius,” Remus called softly, and he closed the car door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That E rating begins now.

Sirius opened the front door to his townhome and sighed, contented to be home after 21 hours of air travel and an incredibly successful Olympics. He’d brought back five gold medals and one silver, and okay, the silver bothered him a bit, but he was convinced that missing out on perfection was a good thing -- gives him something to aim for at the next Olympics.

Sirius abandoned his dufflebag and guitar case at the bottom of the stairs, deciding to take some time to unwind before heading up to unpack and shower. He kicked off his boots and dropped his jacket on top of his luggage before making a beeline down the hall toward the kitchen. He was starving -- he was a swimmer, he was always starving -- and now that he was back home and didn’t have to eat cafeteria or airport food anymore, his pantry was calling his name.

He was reaching toward the cabinet when a yellow post-it note on the refrigerator made him do a double-take. He could tell the handwriting was Nym’s, and he could have cried when he read that the fridge was full of his favorite homecoming meals, packed with love (and there was apparently another surprise waiting for him upstairs).

Sirius’ younger cousin, Nym, was in her second year at university in London, and she spent a lot of time at Sirius’ place, her favorite family member by a long shot. At family gatherings past, she would tie herself to Sirius at the hip (she once did this literally when she was 9), ever since she was a toddler and Sirius would amuse her with goofy expressions or by rearranging his food into a smiley face. She would cackle wildly and grin, then Reg would join in, a din of sound that pierced through the stale air around the long, ornate dining table an odd and beautiful way.

As an adult, Nym had an unusual brand of free-spiritedness considering her upbringing, a lot like Sirius; but unlike him, she tended to cycle through obsessions that she committed to with ferocity for a time and then retired after deciding she wanted something new to chew on. The last one was cosplay, which she picked up incredibly quickly after signing up with a club at school on a whim — Sirius’ second favorite of her obsessions, admittedly — and she would show up at his place in a head-to-toe handmade Sheikh or Inigo Montoya get-up and plop down next to him on the couch without further explanation.

But she had recently become obsessed with coming over to use Sirius’ kitchen to test out various recipes she found online but didn’t have the gear to cook living in the university quarters -- which always resulted in her packing perfectly-proportioned meals up for Sirius, who knew his way around a kitchen just fine, but was too busy to think about cooking anything complicated. It was the perfect set-up.

He re-stuck the note to the stainless steel, whipped open the refrigerator door, grabbed a large container of lasagna and stuck in the microwave, then picked up his phone and grabbed a banana to snack on during the three-minute wait. “ **Is there really more to this surprise than a fully stocked fridge? You’re glorious. About to murder some lasagna** ,” he texted, along with a photo of the microwave counting down, knowing she was probably checking her phone every 2 minutes just waiting for him to get home and see her note.

After eating, Sirius flopped down on the couch, pulled out his phone again to respond to Nym’s long series of excited texts back, and mindlessly flipped through it for a while. He texted James to ask how he was doing, then let Regulus know he’d gotten home. He felt the sudden urge to send something similar to Remus.

He recalled back to a week ago when Remus had texted him. It was early in the morning after the bonfire, while Sirius had still been sleeping. He woke up to a message that read, “ **Good morning, Sirius. Flight’s about to take off -  I’m actually a little sad to be leaving, and I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a year. Have fun in Sydney and tell James good luck! Will text again soon.** ” Immediately, memories from the night before had flooded back into Sirius’ mind and he was absolutely elated, but frustrated that he would have to wait weeks before seeing Remus again.

They had texted off and on the following week that Sirius was in Athens, mostly news from the Olympics (“ **James won gold!”)** and hiking pictures and updates from Remus. Sirius was itching to have a real conversation with Remus so that they could cement the timing of his visit. This was by far the most patience that Sirius had ever exercised, and now that he was home without any distractions, he needed to make something happen or he would go mad.

“ **Hey Remus, I just got back home. Call me when you get the chance? Don’t worry about the time, my sleep schedule is all screwed up anyway.** _”_

Sirius hit send and felt a small sense of relief, cautiously hopeful that he would hear from Remus within the next couple hours. He yawned and gave another languid stretch, and decided he’d close his eyes for just a second.

Four hours later, Sirius was awoken by the explosive sound of his phone buzzing on the glass coffee table. It took him a couple seconds to come out of his initial post-sleep grogginess, but once he registered what the foreign sound was, he snapped up and grabbed the phone immediately. He squinted at the bright screen and slowly registered Remus’ name on the caller ID, making him feel frozen and on fire at the same time, but altogether quite awake.

“Hi,” Sirius answered the phone, voice a little groggy.

“Did I wake you up?” Remus’ soft voice sounded through the phone, more apologetic than usual just in case Sirius _had_ been sleeping, and Sirius smiled as soon as he heard it.

“Yes, but glad you did. Really nice to hear your voice,” Sirius said, rubbing his eye. There was a pause and Sirius could sense Remus smiling sheepishly through the phone

Remus offered after a beat, “So how was your trip home?”

“Fantastic,” Sirius replied, laying back down. “James was hungover the whole flight back from celebrating with his team for three days straight, so I convinced the flight attendants to help me with a prank.”

Remus laughed, “What, did you draw a penis on his face or something?”

Sirius hummed a sigh of offended disapproval and replied, “What kind of amateur do you think I am? No, I did not.” The line was silent for a beat, and then, “I haven’t drawn a penis on his face in at least two months, Remus.”

“Oh, excuse me, that’s right, you’re a prank artist,” Remus acknowledged, a bit of amusement lacing his voice.

“Apology accepted. So it went like this,” Sirius continued, arm coming up to rest across his eyes. “The whole flight, he was completely groggy, in and out of sleep -- he turns into a six-year-old when he isn’t feel well -- and when he’d wake up, he wanted to know how much time was left. But every time he asked, I would tack on another hour. ‘But Sirius,” he would cry, ‘You said that we only have six hours left last time! How can it be seven now?!’ To which I would look into his tear-filled eyes and respond, ‘Sorry mate, you must have dreamt that, we’ve eight more hours to go.’”

“Wow, Sirius, what a comedic mastermind you are,” Remus complimented dryly.

Sirius snorted, grinning in the dark. “Remus, one day you will understand the art of the slow-burn prank, and you will apologize for mocking me about this,” Sirius said, then his tone shifted from jocular to more sincere.  “But anyway, before I get to the real reason I wanted to get you on the phone, and I’m sure you can guess what it is, tell me how your trip has been. The photos you’ve sent have been gorgeous.”

Remus let out a gust of air and replied, “It has been amazing. You remember the video I sent of the cow walking alongside me on a trail, and everything was green grass and blue skies? That was Mount Aspiring. Was hiking there just a couple of days, but I swear to you I have never seen colors that vivid before.”

Sirius chimed, “Yes, I loved that video. I also really liked the picture you sent of the lake that was a strange minty green. Where was that?”

“Yeah, that was Hooker Lake. The lakewater takes on that color and opaqueness from the mineral deposits coming off the glacier.”

Sirius hummed. “And it sounds like you’re making new cow friends?”

“Yes,” Remus answered matter-of-factly, “I am incredibly popular here amongst the cowfolk and have a number of new penpals as a result.”

“Unsurprising, really, who wouldn’t like you?”

Remus laughed and then was silent for a pause. “So I land on the 25th,” he offered, almost as a question.

“Yeah?” Sirius smiled, thrilled that the conversation was moving in this direction without his insistence. “How soon after that can I see you?”

“I’ll be jet-lagged, but I don’t need much time. Maybe the 27th?”

“That’s great,” Sirius said almost immediately. “As long as you’re sure that doesn’t rush you too much? Not that I want to wait any longer than that, trust me.”

“No, I’m sure.” Remus responded easily. “I want to see you.”

“Perfect. Now that we’ve established that, I’ll book my flight,” Sirius confirmed.

“Reno-Tahoe Airport is the closest,” Remus added, “There probably isn’t a straight flight from Heathrow, unfortunately. I had to fly through SFO when I went to London.”

“Oh that’s not a problem. I would fly through 20 airports for you,” Sirius said, smiling. He was thoroughly enjoying Remus’ uneasiness; he could practically hear him biting his lip.

Remus laughed, “Then I would _really_ have to make it worth your while.” Sirius raised his eyebrows at this comment, but Remus changed the subject before he could do anything with it. “What time is it there anyway?”

Sirius grumbled inaudibly as he pulled his phone in front of his face to check the time. “It’s close to 8pm, and I think I just slept for about four hours. So I’ve a wild night ahead of me.”

“Oh? Going out to a club or something?” Remus asked. Sirius noted the shift in Remus’ tone and barked out a laugh he couldn’t quite stifle in time.

“No, Remus,” Sirius managed to say through laughter. “I am not going to a club--”

“Well come on, I don’t know what you do!” Remus said incredulously after his question was met with hysterics, but he now seemed to find the exchange just as humorous.

“Remus, do you remember a certain event that you went to about a week ago or so?” Sirius asked innocently.

“Hmmm?” Remus answered, more animatedly, with the air of someone trying to reach back to find an old memory. “I seem to recall one, yes.”

“And do you remember a certain heated ten minutes we engaged in? Near the end, I think it was?” Sirius paused until he received an acknowledgement in the form of another breathy laugh. “Good, I’m glad you remember, it was brilliant. Would have broken my heart had you forgotten. But I’m bringing this up because there was a moment when I specifically told you that I’m taking this seriously. Which means that no, I am not going to any clubs any time soon. Instead, I’m booking my flight to Tahoe as soon as we hang up.”

“Okay, okay. Point taken,” Remus responded, and Sirius could tell he was smiling again.

“And what I actually meant by doing something wild tonight is unpacking and listening to a podcast. Maybe watching a movie. Maybe eating more lasagna because I can’t control myself. It was sarcasm, Remus, because I plan on actually having a very mundane night.”

“I know what sarcasm is, Sirius,” Remus quipped, a little more pointedly, but Sirius could still hear the smile.

“Excellent,” Sirius chimed before continuing onto a new subject a beat later. “So what time is it there? Morning, right?”

“Yep, I’m 13 hours ahead. It’s 9:30am. I let myself sleep in this morning because I’m actually at a hotel in a real bed. I pulled a muscle a few weeks back before the games a bit underneath my shoulder blade. It hasn’t really healed properly, and sleeping on the ground didn’t feel so great.”

“Ouch,” Sirius winced, “I’m sure the bed felt amazing, then.”

“You have no idea,” Remus practically moaned, and then Sirius heard shuffling from the other line. “I hate to say it, but I should probably get moving. I have to check out by 11, and I still need to shower, grab something to eat, re-pack my stuff.”

“Get to it. I’ll text you the flight info once it’s all settled,” Sirius assured, “Let’s talk again soon, yeah?”

“Absolutely, can’t wait. Bye, Sirius.”

“Bye, Remus,” Sirius said, then hung up the phone and promptly booked a flight to Lake Tahoe arriving on October 27th.

*****

Remus was perched on a bench in the outdoor patio of a quaint cafe that he had stumbled upon in Queenstown. The cafe was bustling now with patrons, but he had gotten an early start that morning and nabbed the best seat in the house before the crowds arrived. He was nursing a large mug of tea, and his eyes lifted from the Kindle for a moment to take in the view of the town, beautiful from where the cafe was nestled on top of a high point, and to smile at the elderly couple sitting adjacent to him with a book and coffees in hand, obviously with the same plan for their morning.

He finished his last bite and pushed the plate to the side, then brought his attention back down to the screen to scroll to the next page, his free hand wrapping around the warm mug soundly again. He was reading one of the many novels he had the time to finally break into, thoroughly enjoying this slow day of nothing but relaxation. After 20 minutes of The Brothers Karamozov, his focus was interrupted by his phone buzzing.

“Hey Poppy,” Remus answered cheerily, pleasantly surprised to hear from his agent so soon after the Olympics.

“Remus! I’m glad I was able to catch you. I wasn’t sure if you’d have cell service today or what. Is now a good time?”

“Great time, actually. This is my free day and I just finished brunch.”

“Great. I just wanted to touch base with you about what we talked about before the Olympics — I’ve been getting tons of interest. There are so many companies that want to work with you.”

“Oh yeah?” Remus asked, sitting up a little straighter now, “That fast, huh? Anything you think might be a good fit?”

“Yeah it happens that fast when you are Remus Lupin.” Poppy responded flatteringly before moving on to what Remus was really interested in. “Everybody wants to work with you, but I’m not quite sure if this stuff is exactly what you’re looking for yet. A lot of print and tv ads mostly.”

“Right,” Remus hummed, “not really my thing, you know? I mean, I’m not totally against it. I know it’s a good way to make money, but-“

“You’re looking for something longer term. Something that can become a career,” Poppy finished for him. They had had this conversation a thousand times before and Poppy understood what he wanted.

“Yeah. Is that even looking like a possibility?” Remus asked skeptically, coming to terms with the fact that he may need to manage his expectations.

“Absolutely,” she affirmed, “it just isn’t what usually happens. But you’ve got such name recognition right now— let’s just ride this wave a while and see what else comes around, and I’ll keep these other opportunities warm as backup. Plus you have a degree from Stanford -- something great is going to fall into place that can keep you busy doing something you love. It’s just going to take me finding the right company and convincing them to think outside of the box.”

“That’s perfect, Poppy, I’m glad we have a plan. And you know the type of thing I am looking for, so I know it’s in the right hands.”

“It is. I’ll email you over a list of the companies who I have already made contact with. The ones in industries that I think have a lot of potential for you, like the outdoor equipment companies, will be highlighted. Just email me back before you lose reception so I know which ones you have some interest in working with, and I’ll do the rest.”

“Fantastic, thanks for being so on top of this,” Remus answered sincerely, “I will reply back right away.”

“Of course, it’s my job. Just enjoy your time for now, you deserve it,” Poppy’s voice rang.

“Trust me, I am,” Remus assured her as he took another drink of his tea that the waitress had just refilled. “I’ll be back in Nevada in the 25th, but I am going to be busy for at least the first three weeks I am back. Let’s plan for me to come to LA to meet with you sometime after that though? We can talk over whatever leads you have.”

“That gives me more than enough time. Just let me know about timing. I’ll clear the day you decide to fly in.”

Great,” Remus said, “Thanks again, Poppy. We’ll talk soon.”

“Bye, Remus!” she chimed before they both hung up.

Remus set down his phone and turned to stow his Kindle away in his backpack, ready to continue exploring Queenstown before checking into the hotel later that day. He waved to the couple as he exited the patio entrance and thought, all in all, this was a pretty idyllic day.

But 14 hours later, Remus was in the comfort of his hotel room, having a decidedly not idyllic night. He had been tossing and turning for hours and couldn’t fall asleep for the life of him. Remus would be starting his final trek (the one he’d been looking forward to the most) tomorrow before heading back to the States, and by the way things were going, he was going to be a zombie. Fantastic.

He looked over at the clock and read that it was already 1am. He groaned with frustration and turned the pillow over to reach the cool side. He had been hoping to get a very early start tomorrow, but that just probably wasn’t going to happen anymore. After another 15 minutes of nothing happening, he gave up on trying to sleep and turned the TV on, settling on a local news show, hoping it would lull him into slumber at some point.

Just as the news anchors started to report on one of the biggest penguin sightings of the season, Remus received a notification on his phone. He turned the phone over and saw a message from Sirius, accompanied by a picture. Remus smiled as he typed in his passcode and gave a long stretch as the message loaded using the hotel’s slow wi-fi.

“ **Bought some new hiking boots for Tahoe. What do you think?** ”

Remus read the message and dropped his head back heavily on the pillow. Instead of texting back, he dialed Sirius’ number.

“Hey there,” Sirius immediately answered with a hint of surprise in his voice. “I hope my text didn’t wake you up.”

“No, not at all. I can’t sleep, and I’m starting the Milford Track in the morning. I’ve been just laying in bed for three hours,” Remus replied, rubbing his face.

“Oh?” Sirius responded with interest before taking a brief pause. “You must be frustrated.”

“That’s an understatement,” Remus sighed, muting the TV. “I never sleep very well when I travel, though. But I’m happy that you picked up -- what are you up to?”

“Just got back from the gym with James,” Sirius responded before he shifted the subject. “Did you like the picture of my new boots?”

Remus let out a very breathy laugh before responding, “Sirius, it’s a picture of you without a shirt on.”

“Oh, damn! Is it?! I must have sent the wrong one!” Sirius exclaimed dramatically, and Remus turned his head and smiled into his pillow, deciding that he would play along. “But since you have that one now...”

Remus put the call on speaker and pulled Sirius’ messages up again to expand the picture to full screen. It was a shirtless mirror selfie -- which Remus would have made merciless fun of -- had Sirius not looked so fucking attractive in it. A towel was slung truly dangerously low on his hips, and his jet black hair was disheveled and dripping wet, reminding Remus of that morning in the locker room. Even though he was used to seeing Sirius in nothing but swimwear, this photo was drastically much more intimate, it was taken for him, and he felt his body immediately responding.

“Remus?” Sirius asked. Remus’ breath hitched as the curious voice pulled him back to the conversation, but he was too exhausted to feel any embarrassment over it. Sirius was art, and in his current state, Remus felt no reason to ignore that fact.

Remus softly cleared his throat before finally responding, his voice coming out slightly gruff, “You know you’re fucking killing me.” Remus heard a gravelly laugh through the phone. “I can’t wait to see you again, Sirius.”

“Hmm,” Sirius started, voice dropping lower, which drove Remus even crazier. “You’re more affectionate than usual. I like it. A lot.”

“Mmm, it’s the sleep deprivation,” Remus explained, putting on a teasing voice, that in his sleepy state ended up sounding more drunk than playful.

He heard the confident voice on the other line reply, “I’m going to take advantage of that.” Remus felt his cock twitch in response to Sirius’ firm tone and took a few moments to steady his breath before speaking again.

“Oh? How are you going to do that?” Remus asked, the room starting to feel heavy and humid.

“I have an idea. It’s going to require a little imagination, but I’m more than happy to take the reins.” Remus hummed in acquiescence, then felt Sirius’ voice wash over him again. “So first off, you can tell me what you’re wearing.”

“Just boxers,” Remus answered evenly, but more eagerly this time. He felt the last of his inhibition melt away as he toyed lightly with his waistband, anticipating what was coming next.

“Take them off,” Sirius ordered, and Remus could do nothing but comply.

“What are you wearing, Sirius?” Remus reciprocated, hoping that Sirius was still only wearing the towel he had on in the picture, or less than that.

“Nothing, like you. And I’m lying in bed. But I wish it was yours.” Remus was intoxicated by Sirius’ directness and felt like he was floating in a different universe. “Are you hard, Remus?”

He was. He was _very_ hard and his cock was beginning to ache in response to the guttural voice sounding through the phone, a voice he already found irresistible in normal settings. Remus reached down to rub a palm against himself and tried to suppress his moan.

He must have been unsuccessful, because Sirius groaned back, “Fuck, me too. God, I wish you were here right now.”

Remus wished he was there too. He wanted to see Sirius, wanted to touch his flushed skin and his cock,  instead of his own. He wanted to feel Sirius’ chest beneath his palms. He shoved the sheets aside and wrapped his hand fully around his cock.

“What would you do if I was?” Remus breathed.

Remus heard some rustling, and then Sirius was saying breathlessly, “I would push you against a wall. Then I would drop down on my knees and blow you.”

“God, Sirius. Your voice,” Remus practically whined, desperate for Sirius to continue speaking.

“But I wouldn’t start right away,” Sirius clarified in a low, even tone.

“No?” Remus breathed, barely audible.

“No. Because before I wrap my mouth around your gorgeous cock, I need to get a good look at that bloody tattoo on your hip.” Remus breathed a sigh in surprise, not expecting Sirius to have noticed this before. “And before you respond, Remus, absolutely do not tell me what it is right now. I have been fantasizing about finding out for myself since I saw you emerge from the pool and it has not left my mind since.”

“No, I won’t,” Remus managed, “I’ll let you find out for yourself.”

Sirius hummed a low growl in response. “Good. And after I do find out, I’m going to grab you by the hips. A little roughly because I have a feeling you like that.” Remus released one breathy hum to let Sirius know that he wasn’t wrong. “Then I’ll trace the tattoo with my tongue before dragging it, slowly, down to your cock.” Sirius waited a beat to let Remus envision that moment before continuing a second later. “Are you stroking yourself?”

“Yes. _Fuck,_ Sirius,”  Remus managed to breath out.

“I’d run my tongue along your cock, inch by inch, to fully appreciate it, because I’ve dreamed about having you in my mouth for a long time.” Remus audibly shuddered with the pure fire of Sirius’ admission, which only encouraged Sirius further. “But I don’t think I’d be able to take it slow for too long, Remus.” Sirius huffed as if the idea of being eye level with Remus’ cock was almost too much for him to handle -- which pushed Remus even closer to the edge. “Then I would wrap a fist around your cock before swallowing you down.” Remus arched his hips at the imagery and continued to thrust into his hand. He groaned exhaltantly, almost like a prayer that Sirius would continue talking.

“I bet you would fill my mouth so perfectly, Remus.” Remus felt his stomach clench, the words going straight to his cock.

“Fuck.” Remus couldn’t manage much more than that, his heart racing, blood singing, vision blurring with the picture Sirius was painting.

"Are you close? Are you thinking about fucking my mouth?" Remus practically growled at Sirius’ words before choking out a response.

"Yeah, so fucking close." He tilted his head back as he felt his orgasm approaching.

“And then once you come in my mouth,” Sirius drawled on, Remus practically whimpering at every additional word, “I would pull you away from the wall, walk you over to a table, bend you over, and fuck you. I am going to grab you by the hips and fuck your perfect arse so hard, Remus. Until you are screaming out my name.”

“ _Fucking christ, Sirius.”_ Remus cried -- images of Sirius eagerly sucking his cock, Remus’ fingers intertwined in his black hair, Sirius bending him over a table and dominating him, lingered behind his eyelids -- as he forcefully came into his hand.

"Fuck, you sound so hot when you come," Sirius growled in reaction, still chasing his own release. Moments later, Remus heard him shudder out a combination of his name and various expletives and wanted nothing more than to witness Sirius’ orgasm with his own eyes. To be the one responsible for it. Seconds later, he heard heavy satiated breathing join the same rhythm as his own. He felt himself being lulled towards sleep until Sirius broke the silence a couple seconds later.

“Remus?” His voice was still gravelly, but now full of careful affection.

“Jesus, Sirius. That was unexpected.” Remus felt loose and relaxed, basking in what had just transpired. “Amazingly unexpected,” he clarified.

Sirius hummed, “I don’t think you’ll have a problem sleeping now.”

“Thank you for that,” Remus mumbled, barely audible, eyes closed already, the phone still laying on the pillow next to his face.

Remus heard Sirius softly laugh in response, but was too relaxed to say anything else. He distantly heard Sirius say “Sleep, Rem. Can’t wait to see you,” before bidding him goodnight. Remus managed a sleepy moan and turned over on his side, pulling the covers back up over his body, and quickly fell asleep.

*****

It was a gorgeous and particularly exciting day, and Sirius reached over the center console to turn the volume way up to celebrate. I Believe in a Thing Called Love blasted through the car speakers as James drove, windows down, and Sirius played an air guitar from the passenger seat.

“Down, boy,” James laughed. “Don’t get yourself too riled up before 16 hours of travel.”

“Wrong, Jamie. I have to get all my energy out now so that I can sleep on the flights and be rested when I arrive,” Sirius corrected, poking James’ cheek for no reason.

James looked sidelong at Sirius with an amused grin before turning his eyes back to the road. “God, you’re so happy it’s actually sickening,” he said, words full of snark, but mismatched against his delighted tone.

“I’m living the dream. I get to spend at least a week with the most beautiful bloke I’ve ever seen,” Sirius explained, then turned to James, “I mean, have you looked at his mouth before? Really _looked_ at it?” Sirius made a sound of disbelief in his throat.

“Apparently not like you have. _Remus ‘Perfect’ Lupin_ it is, then,” James said with a flourish of his hand, and Sirius hummed in agreement. “How long are you staying there again? When is your flight back?”

“To be determined,” he answered, bobbing his shoulders in time with the song, “I’m staying at least a week, but probably not much longer than that? Going to book my return flight back while I’m there.”

“Staying with him or in a hotel?” James asked with interest.

“Hold on Jamie--” Sirius raised a hand in James’ direction as the chorus of the song dropped. He shifted to falsetto before settling back into the conversation while James grinned from the driver’s seat. “With him,” Sirius answered, and he couldn’t help but flash James a proud smirk. “We talked about it though. I initially asked him about the hotels in the area because I didn’t want to be too presumptuous--”

James snorted. “You? Never.”

Sirius rested his chin in his palm and leaned over the center console towards James. “James, I can’t, you know...” he started, and raised a hand to his chest, as if in thought, “help it that I’m this charming?” He brought his hand back down to this thigh as James shook his head, then continued more seriously. “But right, when I asked him about it, he scoffed at the idea and told me to stay at his place. I think we are just past the uncertainty now.” James raised his eyebrows at that but said nothing as he continued to stare at the road and nodded. “What are you and Lily up to for the next couple weeks?”

“Just family time. Hard to make any really big plans when you’ve got an infant,” James responded as he took the exit for Heathrow Airport, and Sirius let his head fall back on the headrest as he listened. “Mom and Dad might watch him so that Lily and I can go out a couple times. But honestly, I got my gold medal, I got my excitement. Now I’m just looking forward to relaxing a little, giving Lily a break from constant Harry duty, and perhaps making some fruit salad treats.”

“I’ll miss you guys,” Sirius said sincerely, lolling his head to the side to look at James.

“Yeah no, you won’t,” James retorted immediately, and Sirius barked a laugh, “But we will surely miss you. You’re going to land in the States and forget that we exist, as it should be.”

“You know, yeah, you’re probably right?” Sirius admitted with an apologetic shrug.

“Just try to text us regularly. Lily is going to be dying for updates, so make sure to use our group chat. You know she doesn’t trust me to properly relay information,” James said, then switched over into the Departures lane, and Sirius went to dig into his backpack.

“It’s just that you don’t appreciate gossip like we do,” Sirius mused, and he reached over to ruffle James’ hair, getting an affectionate chuckle in reply.

“My only flaw,” James commented regretfully.

Sirius pulled the beanie and sunglasses on and shoved his passport in his pocket. “Okay, Jamie,” Sirius said as they pulled up to the drop-off point, leaning over to look right in his face with a pleading expression, “Promise you’ll call me if you guys need anything? You know I’ll rush right back here.”

“I know, Sirius,” James answered as he pulled the car over to the curb, “But we’ll be fine. I just want you to have a good time.” He put the car in park and unbuckled to lean over and give Sirius a hug.

“Thanks, Jamie. Text you when I board,” Sirius said as he opened the car door and stepped out. He grabbed the suitcase from the trunk, waved a last goodbye back at James, and strolled into the airport.


	9. Chapter 9

Remus stood in baggage claim, checking the time on his phone religiously every couple of minutes. Sirius’ flight from San Francisco had landed about ten minutes ago, and even though the plane had probably barely finished taxiing, Remus’ eyes automatically flitted over to the arrivals corridor whenever he caught someone tall and brunette emerging. 

After a moment of standing idly, he noticed two young women slowly approaching his direction out of the corner of his right eye; he could tell that they were hesitant, and he knew what that meant. It was really no use trying to conceal his identity so close to his hometown, especially after the recent Olympics and the magazine -- he was always recognized by someone regardless, and just as often if not more, ironically, when he drew attention to himself with sunglasses and a hat -- so he decided to arrive here without all that and embrace folks warmly if anyone decided to come talk to him. Even though it still made him uncomfortable to be recognized, that feeling had become more neutralized in recent years, and he was grateful he’d been able to inspire others during his swimming career and didn’t want to ruin that by being prickly.

He turned his head easily in their direction and gave the women an open smile, which encouraged them to approach with a little more confidence. “Hi, Remus? Right?” The blond woman asked, blue eyes wide, pulling a carry-on suitcase behind her. Her brunette friend followed close behind, fingering her car keys nervously.

“Yes! It’s nice to meet you both,” Remus said in a soft but bright voice and shook their hands, then learned their names were Elizabeth and Danielle, and Elizabeth had just arrived in town from the San Francisco flight to visit her girlfriend for a week. They procured a notebook from Elizabeth’s bag, which Remus wrote a message in and signed gladly, as the women asked him what his favorite event was. 

“It’s amazing that you’ve made the clear decision to move on from swimming, despite your success; I love the idea of really vigorously pursuing something for a time and not necessarily attaching to that thing forever,” Danielle commented, and Remus nodded. 

“Yeah, that’s exactly it. The move is a little scary, of course, but it feels right. There’s a lot more to get out of life when you’re in tune with what you want and you are able to let things go, I think, at least in my own experience,” Remus tacked on candidly. They carried on a brief exchange, then the two ladies thanked him quietly and shook his hand once more before heading toward the exit.

Remus’ eyes zoned back in immediately on the arrivals corridor, knowing that Sirius would be coming through any moment now, until he heard a familiar voice say his name from his left. He wheeled around and saw Sirius stationed in front of a beam near the carousel a few feet away. Remus’ eyes widened and automatically darkened the moment their gazes connected, as if attached to a dimmer switch.

“Sorry to startle you,” Sirius said, chewing a piece of gum and staring at Remus’ face as they walked toward each other, “Figured it was best to stay out of sight for a minute.”

“Explain to me how you arrive from a 16-hour international flight, disguised, still looking ready for a photoshoot?” Remus asked quietly, eyes flickering to the strands of black hair that had fallen out from beneath his beanie and were dancing across his cheekbone, and the cool, awake look of his gray eyes. Sirius mentioned beforehand that he’d try to show up not looking completely recognizable, both men knowing the well-publicized Brit was easy to pick out in a crowd even outside of his home country, and Remus couldn’t tear his eyes away from the new stubble lining his jaw. A dark teal windbreaker replaced the leather jacket, and he was wearing loose-fitting black pants. He smiled at Remus affectionately. 

“But not the usual photoshoot for high-end jeans,” Remus continued, raising a finger to his bottom lip in thought while Sirius sighed a laugh, wanting to draw out this electric moment of meeting a bit longer, “More like… Arc’teryx.”

“Explain to me why I can’t jump on you right here again?” Sirius whispered as he inched forward imperceptibly, eyes pulled down as if by magnetic force to take in Remus’ lean form in the fitted, white long-sleeved shirt he was wearing. And in that moment, he knew it was taking 99 percent of Sirius’ concentration not to do that. Remus nodded his head to the right and the two men turned toward the baggage carousel, which had just started moving, and Remus pressed his shoulder against his with a small, knowing laugh. 

“I think the reason was that we don’t want to be photographed, so we should be careful to not draw any attention to ourselves,” Remus replied, slowly and barely above a whisper, with a smile still playing across his lips.

People started to edge forward to collect the bags that were now getting tossed onto the carousel, all attention turned toward the conveyor belt. Sirius took this opportunity to lift his hand up an inch to run a finger along the inside of Remus’ wrist. Remus let out a ragged exhale and turned to look at Sirius, trying to wrangle in the smile that was forming on his face. 

Sirius was staring unabashedly at Remus’ face now, gaze lingering on his lips, before he let out a groan that must have come out louder than intended because he then cleared his throat and said brightly, “Well, I’d better go keep an eye out for my luggage!” Remus doubled over for a second, laughing, then followed right behind him.

“So what did you do to occupy yourself on the plane?” Remus asked over at Sirius, both men now watching the carousel.

Sirius tipped his head to the side, recalling. “I read some, slept about six hours, read more, did a cryptic crossword puzzle, listened to a comedy podcast, planned out what I’m going to do to you when I get you alone, thought about the fact that I’m sitting in a chair in the sky, brushed my teeth, and,” Sirius said, inhaling, “before I knew it, I was here with you.”

Remus turned his body toward Sirius and inched a tiny bit closer, waiting for Sirius’ eyes to settle on him, then let his gaze travel from Sirius’ eyes down to his lips, across his stubbled jaw, slowly down the length of his neck, then very, very slowly back up to meet his eyes. Sirius’ pupils were completely blown. 

“Sounds like you were productive, Sirius, that’s great!” Remus commented, voice suddenly shifting to a sunny tone. He bit his lip to stifle a laugh when Sirius sighed heavily through his nose.

A moment later, Sirius stepped forward, grabbed hold of a black suitcase, and swung it easily off of the belt. “We,” Sirius said, pointing between them both and nodding, “are leaving now.” Remus laughed and pressed his hand for a moment to the small of Sirius’ back to turn them around toward the exit.

“We’re this way,” Remus said, pointing to the left toward the parking garage as they crossed through the doors, then followed up sincerely, “but really, I’m glad the long flight wasn’t too big of a bummer. I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Not at all, seeing you is worth it,” Sirius replied, nudging Remus’ shoulder again, and Remus smiled openly back at him as they walked deeper into the mostly vacant parking garage. Remus pulled out his key fob and unlocked the dark blue four-seater truck that they were approaching. 

“Exceptional,” Sirius said as he eyed the massive vehicle. Remus opened the back door and beckoned Sirius to haul up his luggage.

“Trucks come in handy in the great outdoors,” Remus replied distractedly while closing the door and scanning the garage for movement. When he found none, he promptly grabbed hold of Sirius’ hips to pin him back against the truck. Remus’ lips crashed against Sirius’, moving together with the same ravenous fervor that he’d had at their last goodbye. Both men sighed into each other’s mouths, letting their bodies sink into each other, unable to cope with the contact that had been building up in their minds for weeks.

“You’re here,” Remus breathed into Sirius’ jaw, then brought up a hand to trace lightly along his rough chin, and Sirius groaned in response. Sirius moved a hand to the back of Remus’ neck and ducked down to find Remus’ mouth again. Sirius’ hands traveled from Remus’ chest, to his waist, circling around the back of his hips. Remus growled when Sirius’ hands hands edged down toward the back pockets of his jeans.

They stayed like this for a couple of minutes, allowing their hands and mouths and bodies to adjust to finally being together. But there was only so much affection available to the two men from against the side of a truck in an airport parking lot though, in a legal sense at least. So Remus leaned his forehead against Sirius’ pulse point, needing a moment to regain normal consciousness; “Let’s go,” he said hoarsely after a moment. 

Sirius gently wrapped his hand around Remus’ wrist and brought it up to his lips, kissing the soft skin there, and nodded. “You better drive fast.”

*****

“Oh… Oh, wow,” Sirius commented reverently again as he gazed out the car window thirty minutes later. This time, his comment was in relation to the massive, crystal blue lake he could see peeking through the dense sugar pine and aspen trees. Once he and Remus had bookmarked their sexual energy for a little later and Sirius’ body has calmed down, he was able to properly enjoy the landscape. And Remus was right, it was breathtaking. Sirius hadn’t spent much time in nature to begin with, living in London his whole life, so this forested, sunny place felt like another planet.

“Lake Tahoe is one of the purest bodies of water in the world,” Remus explained informatively, imitating a tour guide, “and one of the largest alpine lakes, too. I’m excited to take you down there. The color and clarity of the water is unbelievable up close.” 

“Incredible. Can’t wait to get in, preferably via jumping from a high rock.”

Remus laughed, “I know just the rock for you, actually.” Sirius hummed back, then a small yawn. “We’re about 10 minutes from the house now,” Remus said, looking over at Sirius, who was removing his beanie and pulling his hair loose from the bun it had been contained in. He seemed to lose his train of thought for a second and then continued, “My place sits at a little higher elevation, tucked away from most of the tourism. The back terrace has a great view of the lake and the whole basin. After you get settled, I can make us some coffee and we can relax out there if you’d like?”

Sirius thought that suggestion was ridiculous coming from Remus and almost laughed out loud, but caught himself in time. Considering what had just happened inside a parking garage, he guessed that the wholesome plan of settling in with some coffee on the back porch would last about 30 seconds. 

“That sounds perfect, Remus. I really need a quick shower first, if that’s alright, but coffee afterwards would be amazing,” Sirius replied, going along with the charade, and running a hand through his now-loose hair. Remus turned quickly to look back at the road.

“Absolutely,” he confirmed with a nod, “I’ll introduce you to Bear really quickly first.”

A few minutes later, Remus pulled into the driveway of a modern two-story house, built deep rather than wide, and a German Shepherd immediately perked his head up at the front window to greet them. 

“There’s my guy,” Remus said in an animatedly affectionate voice Sirius had never heard him use before. “Forewarning, Bear is super friendly, but he’s going to be skeptical of you at first. Just talk sweetly to him and he’ll eventually beg you for love.”

Remus put the car into park and the two men opened their respective doors. Sirius grabbed his luggage out of the back and followed Remus up to the front door, preparing to be greeted by a large intimidating dog. As soon as Remus opened the door, Bear burst out, full of enthusiasm and crying with joy that his beloved owner was home. 

“Hey buddy,” Remus practically cooed, and Sirius had the surreal feeling that, yes, he was here at Remus Lupin’s house. With Remus Lupin’s dog. With Remus Lupin.

After his initial excitement had worn off, Bear moved on to Sirius to first sniff at his outstretched hand, and then allow that hand to gently scratch behind his ear. Bear seemed to approve of him, and Sirius felt a flood of relief that that obstacle had been cleared so easily. 

The three of them made their way through the front door and Sirius took in his first real glimpse into Remus’ life. The house was rustic, with its exposed beams and hardwood floors, made a touch more modern by the white and gray decor and simple, functional furniture.

“This is the guest bathroom,” Remus pointed out as they made their way across the threshold, gesturing to the door on his right. “If you want to take a shower, I’ll start the coffee and take your suitcase upstairs for you. Then I can give you a tour when you’re done?” 

“Yes, you’re the best,” Sirius nodded gratefully, kneeling down to grab some fresh clothes that he’d packed in an outside pocket of his suitcase. He headed into the bathroom and deposited the clothes on the counter, immediately noting how crisp, organized, and white the entire space was. 

Remus followed him in a moment later and bent down to open the cabinet under the sink, grabbing a large white towel that he handed over to Sirius. 

“Wait,” Sirius said abruptly with a laugh, unfolding the towel and holding it up. “Remus, this is truly the fluffiest and most gigantic towel I have ever seen in my life. Are you sure this isn’t just a blanket?”

Remus laughed as Sirius wrapped the towel around his neck like a scarf and moaned into it. “You’ll learn that I’m into spa-like comfort when I’m not roughing it out in the wilderness,” he said, walking toward the door. When he reached it, he turned around and leaned forward casually. “Also, my salt scrubs are your salt scrubs. Help yourself,” he said, then shut the door. 

Sirius tossed the towel onto the counter and smiled at the place in space where Remus had just stood, then leaned down to turn the dial to hot and shed his clothes.

Ten minutes later, Sirius emerged from the bathroom wearing a black t-shirt and fitted dark blue jeans. He felt like a man born anew as he shook out his hair and took in the marvelous scent of fresh coffee. Before he could make his way to the kitchen, though, he was suddenly startled to see Bear sitting in the entryway watching him. Sirius froze and tried to appear non-threatening to the 40-kg dog who was allegedly “super friendly”.

“Remus?” Sirius spoke up cautiously, as Bear just continued to stare at him like a creepy statue. A couple seconds later, Remus appeared from what Sirius presumed must be the kitchen and followed Sirius’ narrowed gaze toward the entryway. 

“Oh look at him, watching you like a guardian angel,” Remus said, his voice full of affection again, reminding Sirius distinctly of James’ tone when he spoke about Harry. Sirius raised his eyebrows at Remus’ comparison of Bear to an angel, but stopped himself from commenting. “Don’t worry, I’ll put him outside for now. That’s probably why he’s standing over here anyway,” 

Remus gave Bear a scratch behind the ear and opened the front door. He shut the door once Bear had scurried outside, leaned against it heavily, and then focused his gaze on Sirius. 

“How was the shower?” Remus asked after a moment, the tone of his voice a little lower. A corner of Sirius’ mouth turned up at the palpable shift in his demeanor.

“Euphoric,” Sirius responded evenly before gesturing around the room, “Your place is really nice by the way, everything is very you.” 

Remus smiled and began to purposefully walk towards Sirius, and something in the way he moved told Sirius that his plan for coffee on the terrace had in fact been abandoned.

“How do you always smell so good?” Remus mumbled as he wrapped his arms about Sirius. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Sirius couldn’t stand their close proximity any longer and pushed himself forward to press their lips together, eventually taking Remus’ bottom lip between his teeth.

A small smile tugged at Sirius’ mouth as Remus’ lips traveled further down to pay attention to his neck. “I love the hardwood,” Sirius commented with faux interest, “Did you put the flooring in or is it original?” 

Remus pulled back slightly, rolling his eyes. “Did you also study interior design at university?” He drug his lips around to breathe the words impatiently into Sirius’ mouth, sending the message that he was not at all interested in discussing the flooring of his home. Sirius laughed before catching his lips again and running a hand lightly up Remus’ waist to rest at the middle of his back.

“Not in the mood for conversation anymore?” Sirius mumbled through the kiss. “You don’t want to — have that coffee you made? Relax outside? Listen to me read all three Lord of the Rings books to you? Give me a tour?” 

Remus broke contact to incline his head slightly so his eyes were level with Sirius’. “Do you really want to see the rest of the house?”

“You know… Yeah,” Sirius responded, a sly smile on his face as he stared at Remus’ fucking perfect, slightly parted lips. He pressed his hand against Remus’ back. “Show me the best room for me to fuck you.”

Remus choked out a laugh and it didn’t take long for him to pull away from Sirius and grab him by the wrist instead, leading him up the stairs. He was led into what must have been the master bedroom, but he didn’t have time to observe anything about the space before he wrenched Remus close again. 

“I wasn’t going to make it through coffee and terraces,” Sirius muttered. His hands slipped underneath Remus’ shirt to push the fabric up and over his head without further preamble, and Sirius felt Remus’ warm breath near his temple as he laughed.

“Listen, I was raised to be a good host,” Remus exhaled while Sirius explored the length of his neck with his teeth.

“You’re hosting me just fine, I’d say. But there is still too much clothing for my liking.” Sirius said, eyes flashing as he reached for the button and zipper of Remus’ jeans.

Remus clasped the hem of Sirius’ shirt, tugged at it once impatiently, and said, “If I try to take yours off right now, I guarantee that I will rip it. And it looks expensive.” 

Sirius smiled and abandoned the zipper for a moment. He stripped off his shirt and Remus took Sirius’ face between his hands and kissed him with full force. Sirius slipped his arms soundly around the other man’s waist without breaking their lips apart, pressing their bodies closely together. Their hands found the waistbands of each other’s jeans, which were discarded on the floor within seconds.

They pressed their hips together and groaned at the contact, only the thin cloth of boxer-briefs separating them now. Sirius dropped his hands to grip tightly at Remus’ hips and walked him backwards. As soon as the back of Remus’ knees hit the comforter, he sidled his body toward the middle of the bed. He scanned Sirius’ broad, lean frame up and down, all traces of gold vanishing from his blackened irises.

“God, just get over here.” Remus huffed impatiently.

Sirius’ trance was interrupted by the gruff command and he tied his hair back loosely before crawling slowly over Remus. He slipped down to kiss his way up the finely carved ridge of Remus’ hip, listening for the sharp gasps of Remus’ breath. Sirius carefully watched his face as he pressed his thigh between Remus’ and rolled his weight down. 

Remus let his head fall back heavily onto the mattress, overwhelmed, breaking contact; he slipped his hand underneath the fabric of Sirius’ boxers to firmly grab his arse, pulling their hips even closer together. Sirius heard a low growl slip from his own mouth, immediately mirrored by Remus who then whipped his other hand around to aggressively push Sirius’ waistband down, setting his cock free.

Remus immediately moved his hand in between them to take hold of Sirius, pumping his fist twice before smoothing the bead of moisture around the head with his thumb. Remus continued to watch Sirius, as if he didn’t want to miss a second of Sirius coming undone at his touch. 

The unabashed look of desire on Remus’ face, lips kiss-swollen and eyes lust-blown, was almost enough to send him over the edge on its own. With Remus’ hand wrapped tightly around his cock, Sirius was able to concentrate just enough to shift his weight onto his right elbow. He slid his left hand along the inside of Remus’ thigh and lightly up the length of Remus’ hardened length, causing Remus’ hand to still as his groaned deeply. 

Sirius took this opportunity to pull away from Remus’ grip and slide himself slowly back down his body. His mouth quickly found its way to Remus’ left pec, where he began a trail of open-mouthed kisses from his nipple down to his right hip. Sirius lifted his lips from Remus’ skin and pulled the side of Remus’ boxers down slightly, revealing the black tattoo that Sirius knew was hidden there. 

Sirius tipped his head and looked at it for a moment. “A full moon?” Sirius asked, looking up at Remus, his voice coming out gravelly but simultaneously full of curiosity. His fingers traced the circular shape, coming closer to the place that Remus was probably dying for him to touch. 

“Mmmm,” Remus barely mumbled in affirmation. Sirius felt Remus’ hips twitch forward as his fingers continued to tease closer and closer. Replacing his fingers now with his tongue, Sirius traced the tattoo once again, waiting for a real answer. Remus groaned again before finally responding, his voice breathless and full of frustration, “Yes, Sirius. It’s a moon. Can we talk about it lat-- ah fuuuuuuuck.” 

Remus groaned in submission when Sirius pulled the waistband down his hips and covered the length of his cock with his mouth, dragging his tongue along the underside of his shaft. Remus wrapped his hand roughly into Sirius’ hair and pressed his own head further back into the bed, groaning again when Sirius swallowed him down and sucked hard on the way back up. 

Sirius continued to move his mouth languidly along Remus’ length, varying the pressure and position of his lips, taking his time to enjoy every new reaction he was pulling out Remus. Sirius was not inexperienced, yet something about Remus made him scrupulously attentive, like he was a beginner again. He wanted to learn exactly what the man liked, what he wanted, and then Sirius wanted to give it to him. 

When Sirius heard Remus’ breath becoming more disjointed, he grabbed ahold of Remus’ hips roughly, stabilizing him so he could take him even deeper into his mouth, and he hummed when Remus thrust his cock further down his throat. Remus reacted to the new vibration and a second later, raised his head to look at Sirius and cried out, “Fuckfuckfuck, not yet, Sirius.”

Sirius slowed his movements and looked up at him curiously, running his tongue along the underside of Remus’ sensitive head to let him recover enough to respond. “Top drawer. Nightstand,” Remus managed to say with heavily-lidded eyes, watching Sirius’ nimble tongue licking the pre-cum at his slit.

Sirius’ expression darkened even more as he stared at Remus, if that were possible, and he lowered his head back and wrapped his mouth fully around Remus again. Remus’ hand quickly found Sirius’ shoulder and he squeezed at it uselessly, his breath falling back into a frantic rhythmic pattern. Sirius continued eagerly, and within a minute, his body tensed as he came into Sirius’ mouth. 

“I wanted you to wait,” Remus managed to gasp between deep breaths after about a minute of recovery.

“Sorry,” Sirius grinned, not sorry at all. He rested his chin lightly on Remus’ hipbone, hand stroking his partner’s inner thigh. “I was enjoying watching you too much.”

Sirius crawled back up the bed and reached into the nightstand drawer, where his hand quickly found a bottle of lube and a condom. Sirius closed the drawer as Remus worked to pull his boxers completely off.

He sat back on his heels, using both hands to gently push Remus’ knees up and positioned his left leg to drape easily over his shoulder. He pressed his hips flush between Remus’ thighs and rubbed the lube onto his fingertips, dragging his eyes over Remus’ prone body beneath him, already beginning to respond to him again. Sirius turned his head to kiss his way up Remus’ inner thigh, while one hand gripped onto his hip and the other slid down to his perineum. Remus’ eyelids fluttered and he inhaled sharply as Sirius teased at his entrance, not breaking eye contact. 

Sirius pushed one finger slowly inside and bit gently on Remus’ knee as he watched him adjust to the intrusion. He began pressing his finger in and out, driving slightly deeper with each movement, feeling Remus’ muscles relax around him, before Remus began moving against his hand. Sirius worked in a second finger, this time moving faster in rhythm with Remus’ thrusts. Remus’ breath was like music to Sirius, becoming more and more erratic with every press inside his body.

Sirius stayed like this for a while, taking his time to leisurely prepare his partner and learn about his body. Remus’ eyes were closed now, a flush creeping up his face, lips opening and closing as he panted in rhythm to Sirius’ fingers, chest heaving almost violently, and his cock on display looking unimaginably hard. Sirius’ own breathing was quickening from just watching the man writhe beneath his touch. He crooked his fingers experimentally during the next press, making Remus cry out abruptly.

“There?” Sirius confirmed hoarsely, watching intently as he made sure to hit the same spot again, causing the same reaction. 

Remus tilted his head back and breathed, “Fuck… Yes, there… Fuck, Sirius.” Remus cried out again, his hips slamming down harder onto Sirius’ hand. Hearing Remus yell his name in this way was all that Sirius could take. Remus groaned at the loss when Sirius withdrew his fingers, but recovered with a ragged breath when he opened his eyes and saw Sirius rolling the condom and smoothing lube over his cock. 

Sirius took his time crawling back over Remus’ body. He dragged his other hand along the man’s heaving chest, leaning down to lick at the thin sheen of sweat there, then up to cup his cheek, and pressed a long, slow kiss onto his lips. Remus kissed him, and then pulled at Sirius’ bottom lip with his teeth. Sirius took the hint and smiled down at Remus with a raised eyebrow. So impatient.

Sirius pulled his hand back and hovered his lips just a centimeter above Remus’ as he guided his cock to his entrance. They breathed into each other’s mouths, Remus stilled completely, and Sirius pressed in. 

For a moment that he had been fantasizing about for so long, Sirius was surprisingly calm and lucid, wanting to record every sound and sight into his memory. Feeling Remus’ breath finally stabilize against his lips, Sirius began to rock forward slowly -- inch by inch -- finally sheathing himself fully inside of Remus so that their thighs were perfectly flush. Remus stared up at Sirius, eyes barely held open, as they stilled completely again and caught their breath. A moment later, Sirius shifted to the left and placed his right hand under Remus’ hip, elevating him and changing the angle slightly, making Remus cry out again.

They moved together effortlessly, Sirius thrusting and Remus eagerly meeting his slow, rhythmic pace, raking a hand across Sirius’ back and guiding his hips roughly with the other. Their mouths met in a kiss that was mostly teeth and breath, and Sirius found that their pace was speeding up -- now more frantic, fiery, desperate. 

Remus hooked a leg around his hip, pulling Sirius impossibility deeper with each downward press, moaning in time with their ever-faster, ever-hungrier movements. Sirius suddenly shifted his position and pinned Remus’ hands above his head, using this newfound leverage to pound even deeper. A low cry escaped Remus’ lips at each rapid snap of his hips, and Sirius knew that he was hitting Remus’ prostate perfectly — neither man was going to last much longer. 

Sirius shifted his weight to wrap a hand tightly around Remus’ cock, stroking him with a matched rhythm. Moments later, Remus’ chest heaved a final time as he pressed his head back into the bed and cried out Sirius’ name, gripping Sirius’ hip hard enough to leave a bruise. 

“Fuck Sirius, fuck, please, don’t stop.” Remus begged as Sirius pressed impossibly deeper. He felt Remus’ body clench around him, so tightly, before warm fluid coated his hand. It was all more than enough to send him plummeting over the edge as he shuddered and stilled a final time, shouting out Remus’ name surrounded by various expletives. He felt Remus’ sated eyes on him, watching Sirius come. 

Sirius’ body stilled and he slumped forward onto Remus, taking a necessary moment to regain his breath. He kissed Remus’ chest, took hold of his hip and pulled out of his body gingerly, quickly disposing of the condom in the trash bin to his right. He returned Remus’ leg back down to the bed and gently massaged his thighs and hips with both hands, smiling down at the tranquil man lying beneath him, who released a long, satisfied sigh as he stared up at Sirius. 

Sirius leaned down to slide his shoulder under Remus’ arm, resting his head at the crook of Remus’ neck, breathing in his scent and feeling nearly intoxicated by it. Sirius’ head rose and fell with the motion of Remus’ chest, breathing slow and steady, and he shivered as Remus’ fingers began to softly caress his back. 

They stayed like that for a long while, Remus’ legs stretched out loosely and tangled with Sirius’, and Sirius thought that he may never want to move again. Had Remus not still been stroking his back, Sirius would have thought that he was in a deep, relaxed sleep. 

Sirius shifted his head up an inch and took a moment to fully appreciate the man’s face. He knew Remus was gorgeous, but he hadn’t had an opportunity yet to really figure out what made him so beautiful. He studied the elegant curve of his golden eyebrows; the way the hard-cut lines of his cheekbones lead down to the slightly upturned corners of his mouth; the smooth slope of his top lip resting weightlessly on the bottom one, just slightly parted, as his mouth’s natural state; the rosey pink tone of his lips. He shifted his body to the right and began to trace his thumb around the outside of Remus’ mouth, which slowly curled up into a lazy smile.

“You have the most exquisite mouth,” Sirius sighed before pressing his lips gently to Remus’, unsure of when he became so fond of just kissing. Remus returned his affection with more soft, lazy kisses, before laughing lightly.

“You’re ridiculous,” Remus replied, noticeable fondness in his voice.

“Honestly Remus, your mouth is a work of art. It’s so sexy. Have you ever been to the Louvre before? Because it’s actually where you belong, as a whole,” Sirius mumbled nonsensically as he nuzzled himself back into Remus’ arms and closed his eyes. 

Sirius felt Remus’ chest shake with quiet laughter. “As if you’re not a specimen yourself,” he vaguely registered Remus responding, but he was too relaxed to acknowledge it. Sirius felt Remus’ hand tuck a strand of hair behind his ear, followed by a tender kiss to his forehead, before he drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Sirius awakened and slowly opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. With a flutter in his stomach, he remembered that he had made it to Tahoe only hours earlier and had immediately fallen into bed with Remus. A soft comforter had been draped over his body, but the spot that Remus had occupied next to him was now empty. 

Golden evening sunlight was still streaming in through the windows, though; he figured that he couldn’t have been asleep for more than a couple of hours. Sirius rolled over onto his back and stretched -- his body felt wonderful, relaxed yet energized, also in desperate need of another shower. 

Sirius lifted himself out of bed and headed for the adjoining bathroom, picking up the trail of his clothing that had been frantically discarded along the way. He found a towel folded neatly on the countertop and turned on the shower for the second time that day, letting his mind wander back to the images and sensations of a few hours ago as the steam rose around him. Sirius returned to the bedroom a few minutes later, freshly showered again and wearing the same black t-shirt and blue jeans he had changed into earlier, but had only worn for a grand total of three minutes. 

He padded down the stairs, the magnificent smell of eggs and bacon surrounding him as he approached the landing. He turned the corner into the kitchen and found Remus, also freshly showered, standing in front of the stove wearing only a pair of navy blue sweatpants. He must have heard Sirius’ footsteps, because as soon as he stepped onto the hardwood floor, Remus turned his head around with a smile.

“Hey,” he said brightly, biting into one of the blackberries that he was snacking on as Sirius walked up behind him. “I didn’t know if you needed to sleep longer because of the jet lag. But truthfully, I was hoping that the smell of breakfast for dinner would wake you up.”

Remus offered a blackberry over his shoulder and pressed it delicately between Sirius’ teeth, then leaned over and kissed him, his lips tart and sweet against Sirius’. He ignored the alluring smell of the food Remus was cooking for that moment, choosing to stretch his arms around either side of Remus’ body instead. He smoothly turned the dials of the stove off.

“You could not be any sexier,” Sirius hummed, pressing his body into Remus’ back, kissing along his muscular shoulders and running his hands lightly down his abdomen.

Remus laughed with disbelief, but Sirius also felt him quiver when his thumb pressed along his nipple. “You saw me shirtless for years, in much less than what I’m wearing now,” he said, biting into another blackberry. “So get a grip,” he finished, a light blush creeping up his throat. 

“Mmm, that’s true,” Sirius responded as his mouth made its way to Remus’ neck, “but you weren’t cooking just for me then.” Remus’ breath hitched as Sirius’ hands moved teasingly along the waistband of his sweatpants, his mouth finding the pulse point just below his ear. “And I couldn’t touch you wherever I wanted to then.” 

Remus groaned and leaned back against Sirius as his hand dipped beneath his sweatpants and found his already hardened cock. Sirius was beginning to learn the type of attentive touch that Remus wanted, and he stroked him assuredly, setting a slow pace that he thought would drive the man crazy. He knew something else that would drive him crazy too.

“I couldn’t touch you like this,” Sirius murmured softly into his ear, taking him out and stroking slowly, enjoying the juxtaposition between his own even tone and Remus’ quickened breathing. “I couldn’t feel your gorgeous cock in my hand.” Remus released a deep whine and leaned his head back to rest on Sirius’ shoulder. Sirius groaned at his willingness to let go so completely. 

“You’re so fucking responsive,” Sirius continued as he quickened the pace of his hand very slightly, using the other to roughly pull his body closer. “Your cock gets so hard for me so quickly.” 

“God, Sirius,” Remus moaned tightly, reaching around to wrap his fingers in Sirius’ hair and grabbing onto the countertop with the other.

“Like this?” Sirius asked sweetly as he sped up the stroke of his hand even more, nibbling gently at Remus’ earlobe. 

“Yes. Like that,” Remus panted desperately, turning his head to reach Sirius’ lips with his own. Sirius moaned into the kiss until Remus’ lips went still, and Sirius licked along the other man’s bottom lip as he felt him finish into his fist.

Sirius smiled with satisfaction and continued to support Remus, who had lolled his head back onto Sirius’ shoulder and was leaning against him heavily. He placed soft kisses along Remus’ neck as he recovered and gently circled his hip bone with his thumb, the man’s breath starting to slow back down. A minute later, Remus moved his weight forward to stand on his own, and Sirius took that opportunity to turn to the sink and wash his hands.

“Christ. You and your mouth, Sirius,” Remus laughed breathily while eyeing Sirius with awe, still notably out of breath and adjusting his sweatpants. He moved to turn the burners of the stove back on but his eyes remained steadfastly fixed on Sirius. 

“Sorry, you just bring it out of me,” Sirius responded with a proud grin, drying his hands off on a towel.

“Well, don’t apologize,” Remus laughed again as he stepped up to Sirius, his posture and voice utterly relaxed and loose, “I clearly cannot get enough of it.” He placed a slow, affectionate kiss on Sirius’ mouth and caressed his neck. Sirius felt like he would melt on the spot, then Remus pulled away a few short moments later, hands sliding down from his neck to grasp his shoulders, and observed, “Okay, you must be starving.” 

Sirius nodded definitively. “I am. And this looks amazing,” he said, “I love breakfast food, how did you know?”

“Do you really? It’s my favorite -- that’s so funny,” Remus said, then handed Sirius a large plate. He urged eagerly, “I made a ton of eggs and turkey bacon. There are almond-flour pancakes I whipped up a little earlier that are staying warm in the oven. Also, I’ve got sliced avocado, maple syrup, and fruit on the table.” 

Sirius groaned in response before answering with actual words. “You’re a prince,” he said while filling his plate full of everything that was offered. 

Remus waved his hand dismissively before grabbing his own plate. He said as he served himself, “I love cooking. I know how frustrating it can be to be around someone who doesn’t understand that you need to eat a lot more than the average person, so eat whatever and whenever you want while you’re here. Fridge and pantry are fully stocked.”

“Perfect,” Sirius responded gratefully, sitting down at the small table in the kitchen, followed shortly after by Remus who was carrying two big glasses of water. He set one of the glasses in front of Sirius, who hummed in thanks in the middle of a bite of egg. 

“So what do you want to do while you’re here?” Remus asked and took a bite of bacon, but his question was met only with a sly grin and slow chewing. Remus bit his lip to quell the smile that was forming on his face and clarified, “Besides that? I think we have already established that that will be happening quite a lot.”

Sirius smiled and cocked his head to the side thoughtfully while pouring syrup over the generous stack of pancakes on his plate. “I’d love to be active. Any outdoors activities you normally do, I’m game for. Tell me about your favorite places to go,” he said, lifting a bite of pancake up to his mouth. “Give me some options.”

Remus hummed, thinking about the question. “Well, hiking is always my go-to, no surprise there. And there are a ton of day routes to choose from around here,” he said. “I think you’d enjoy the trek to Mount Tallac based on your favorite pictures from my trip to New Zealand -- about 9.5 miles total, a lot of elevation gain. The hike to Cascade Falls is on the shorter side, just a couple of miles, but spectacular views. We could drive a little further west for a wicked day trek to Lake Aloha in Desolation Wilderness, about 24 miles there and back.” Sirius nodded as he listened, stabbing at individual blueberries and bringing them up to his mouth.

“And lots of activities out on the lake itself, like kayaking, paddleboarding, jet skiing. We have time to do all of them if you want,” Remus finished enthusiastically, cutting a slice of avocado in half with his fork.

Sirius replied, “Okay, all the hikes sound amazing, especially the long one. Let’s try to pack them in. And kayaking, definitely.” He saw Remus’ eyes flitting around the table. “Is the lake crowded at this time of year?” Sirius added, handing him the bottle of hot sauce that was sitting beside his plate.

Remus hummed in thanks and splashed a few shakes of Tapatio on his avocado. “It’s pretty chilly because we’re moving into fall temperatures, so the lake won’t be crowded with tourists. The cold water won’t bother you and me, of course.” 

“Never,” Sirius said in a faux regal voice, “I was forged in the London cold and rain.”

“I’ve meant to ask you if London’s weather really is that--”

Their conversation was interrupted by a bark, and Sirius turned around to see Bear sitting outside the backdoor watching them impatiently through the glass. “Oh, it’s Mr. Bear!” Remus sang animatedly, causing the dog’s tail to thrash wildly, and stood up to open the door. Bear ran straight past Remus toward Sirius and sat next to him, placing his huge head in his lap, tail continuing to wag happily. Sirius laughed in surprise, exchanged an impressed look with Remus, and began to scritch behind Bear’s ears.

“Has he been outside all this time?” Sirius asked, bringing his eyes back down to give the dog a compassionate look. Bear looked into Sirius’ face and whined, as if on cue.

Remus laughed at the duo. “No, he was in and out while you were sleeping. But when he was inside, he kept running upstairs to watch you every 10 minutes, it was amazing. I’m telling you, guardian angel.” Remus eyed Bear once again with a look of the purest love that Sirius had ever seen, and Sirius was starting to understand the merits of having a pet (a child though, not quite -- no offense, Harry).

“Does anyone watch him when you travel?”

“Usually Pete or my mom,” Remus responded and rested his chin on his hand lazily, picking through the blackberries to find the one he wanted. “But when they can’t, like during the Olympics, I board him. He likes it, because he’s my good boy.” Bear’s ears perked up even straighter when he recognized Remus’ last two words and the goofy smile that Remus seemed to always wear whenever he interacted with Bear appeared back on his face again. 

Sirius laughed at that, then he suddenly got very serious and looked between the dog and his owner. ”Can he have a piece of turkey bacon?”

Remus nodded at Sirius. Sirius identified the perfect piece of turkey bacon, then threw it in the direction of Bear, who caught it in his appreciative jaws with precision. 

“And for future reference, what other human foods can he eat? Because I can tell he and I are gonna have that kind of relationship,” Sirius offered at Remus, then looked down and asked “Isn’t that right?”. When Bear continued vehemently licking the floor where a corner of the bacon had dropped, he answered, “That means yes.”

“He only really likes meat and eggs, so just stick with that,” Remus answered happily. Sirius nodded, and then it was quiet for a moment. 

“Remus?” Sirius asked with some amused interest in his voice, looking back up at him. Remus hummed in acknowledgement, so he continued. “Why a full moon?”

“Oh,” Remus said, and his goofy smile was replaced by a different type -- a smaller, a sadder smile. “I got the tattoo after my dad died. He and I used to go camping each month during the full moon.... well, at least when the weather allowed it. My parents own about ten acres not far from here, my mom still lives there now, and we would just go out with his truck and make a campfire. We’d lay out sleeping bags in the bed of his truck and look up at the moon and just talk. He started that when I was about five, I think. And we kept doing it, except for when I was traveling or going through intense training, you know, until he got sick.” Remus’ eyes flitted around the room before wistfully making their way back to Sirius. “He was the greatest dad.”

Sirius was quiet for a few seconds as he studied Remus’ face. “It really sounds like it. I’m sorry you had to go through losing him.” 

“Me too. I just try to stay grateful that I ever had him in the first place.” Remus smiled softly and took a long drink of water before asking, voice slightly hesitant, “What about your parents? Do you ever miss them?” 

Sirius let out a short laugh of surprise and replied, “That’s right, I forgot that you don’t know too much about my family. Maybe I miss them in the way that you miss a toxic person who you used to be attached to, you know? But we are so much better apart, and it took me a while to figure that out -- even during the rare good periods, they always made me feel like I was broken.” 

Remus shook his head and sighed. “But you still stay in touch, right?”

“Yeah, it would be wrong of me to put it all on them.” Remus looked like he was going to respond, but Sirius beat him to the punch, predicting what he was probably going to say, “I know, I know, they are the parents and, yes, most of it is on them -- unconditional love and all that. But, like I said in Sydney, I was making it worse by not being honest with myself and them, by assuming they wouldn’t be tolerant of something different.” Sirius paused, mulling over how to say what he wanted to say, always finding it hard to describe his parents in a way that got the point across. “But, believe it or not, things are pretty civil between my parents and I now. The rest of my family is a different story. And even though I have the support of the Potters, I do want a relationship with my parents that isn’t hostile.” 

“Well that’s good?” Remus offered and Sirius laughed at the generic response.

“Yeah, it’s not easy to understand for people with great familial relationships, but it’s better than I ever thought it would be, so I’m grateful for that.” He leaned over to give Bear a scratch behind the ears, then stood up quickly to take their plates over to the dishwasher. 

Remus rose a couple of seconds later and followed Sirius, grabbing the soiled pans from the stove and washing them at the sink. Not long later, the dishes had been cleaned up and Remus gently turned Sirius to face him, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. 

Remus and Sirius just looked at each other for a moment. “I’m really, really glad you’re here,” Remus supplied, kissing Sirius on the smile that had just formed on his lips. Sirius pulled back and ran his hands along Remus’ waist. “What do you want to do tonight? I don’t want to disrupt your normal routine too badly,” he said, attempting to move back into a lighter mood.

Remus laughed. “Hmm, well I need to put more clothes on. But then we can take Bear for a long walk?” Bear let out a poignant whine as soon as he heard the last word leave Remus’ mouth. Remus smiled at Bear and nodded his head animatedly before turning back to Sirius to continue, “I have three acres of property that I can show you around, and there’s a small creek we can walk to. Then how about we just come back and relax? Maybe share a bottle of wine and watch a movie in bed?” It was Sirius who perked up at Remus’ words this time, but stifled his reaction so as to not mirror the dog.

“Yes, yes, and yes,” Sirius managed to say more evenly than he was feeling. “Let me grab my shoes while you change and I’ll be ready to go.”

*****

Sirius awoke to the abrupt tune of his ringtone, but let it go to voicemail because he was not ready to move from his warm and comfortable current position -- Remus was splayed across his chest, his mouth breathing warmly into Sirius’ neck. Bear was on his bed in the corner of the room, back to lightly snoring after briefly being awoken by the phone. The white sunlight streaming onto Remus’ back let Sirius know that it was early in the morning by now, probably around 6 or 7am. 

Sirius looked down at Remus, naked and tangled in the sheets, and smiled, thinking back to the night before. He and Remus had stayed up late after walking the dog, probably past 2am. They drank wine while a movie played in the background, which neither of them could actually summarize as they had put the majority of their focus on trading swimming stories and laughing. 

But just as he was about to drift back to sleep, his phone started ringing again. Sirius groaned as he felt Remus shift, knowing that the noise had woken him up this time around. 

“Sorry,” Sirius said sheepishly, “It’s James. I’ve been ignoring him. He probably won’t stop calling until I answer.” He felt Remus lightly laugh into his neck before he slowly shifted his body to sit upright. Sirius’ hand fell down to Remus’ lower back, massaging gently.

“It’s fine,” Remus smiled with bleary eyes, his hair an absolute mess and his voice groggy from sleep. Sirius was convinced that it was the most perfect sight he had ever seen, but then realized he’d been thinking that a lot in the past 24 hours. “I’ll take a shower so that you guys can talk.” 

Remus squeezed Sirius’ arm and stood up to head to the bathroom. Sirius’ eyes were glued to him until the door shut and his phone began ringing for the third time that morning. Sure enough, it was James requesting to FaceTime. 

“Do you know what time it is here?” Sirius asked without greeting as he stared back at James through the camera.

“6:48 in the morning for you!” James chirped merrily while taking an obnoxiously loud bite out of an apple. “Oh, I’m sorry, Sirius. Did I wake you up?” A bit of apple flew out of James’ mouth as he continued talking with his mouth full. “That’s what happens when you don’t text me or call me like I specifically asked you to.”

Sirius groaned, his voice still hoarse from sleep, “I’m sorry. I’ll be better.” 

James flashed Sirius a winning smile and asked before taking another ostentatious bite, “So… how’s it going?”

Sirius laughed dryly and rubbed his eye with his palm. “It’s amazing.” When he opened his eyes again, James was beaming at him.

“Wow, so few words. Wow, he’s a man of honor now apparently,” James dragged out with raised eyebrows. 

“James, it is before 7am. And I probably got to sleep about five hours ago, so yeah, not going to get very many words, mate,” Sirius said in a slightly strained voice as he sat up straighter.

“Usually you like to fill me in on your romantic endeavors, graphically, and against my will,” James continued as if Sirius had not even spoken. “But now we’re playing coy?” James squinted and brought his hand to his chin pensively, underscoring his point, before chomping on the apple again. James was right, though; he was usually much more forthcoming with details.

Sirius laughed at the reversal and decided to indulge his best friend. “Remus is incredible -- everything is so easy. I knew we already had a great connection, but I kind of worried that being alone together for such a long period of time might be a risk. Maybe we’d run out of things to talk about?” James hummed in understanding and Sirius continued talking, “I mean, I know it’s only been a day, but I already know it won’t be like that.” Sirius stretched his arms over his head. 

“Where is he anyway?” James asked, taking another bite of his apple. “He’s not next to you, right?”

“He’s in the shower. I’m sure he’ll be out soon,” Sirius answered, slightly more awake now, “What are you up to? How are Harry and Lily?”

“Bloody brilliant, as usual. Lily has started running again. Wants to do a half marathon in a couple months so she’s been planning out her training program. And Harry is only waking up one time in the night, such a trooper. OH!” James waved his hand excitedly to get Sirius’ attention, as if Sirius wasn’t already staring right at him through the phone. “He has started to roll over! It’s so impressive, Sirius. This ability is typical of a four month old. FOUR. He’s already charting ahead by an entire month. I mean, he hasn’t completely rolled over yet,” James clarified while Sirius snorted inaudibly, “but he is twisting his body and trying so hard.” 

“Wow, I sure wish I had a video of that!” Sirius responded animatedly.

“Already sent, mate. Already sent.” James smirked, full of satisfaction. “So what do you guys have planned?”

“We are going to lay low. Go for a hike today.” Sirius heard the shower turn off but continued his conversation. “Doing some activities on the lake at some point too. Shouldn’t be too crowded though.” 

“Laying low to avoid attention?” James clarified.

“Always. I’ve had enough unwanted photos of me out there to last me a lifetime. Plus I don’t want to drag Remus into that too.” Sirius eyes looked over to the bathroom door as it opened. He smiled as Remus emerged wearing a pair of shorts and a dark green henley, his hair wet and wavy. 

James must have picked up on Remus’ entry into the room because he began speaking directly to him, “Remus! Perfect timing, mate. Harry just woke up from his nap and is absolutely dying to meet you.” Remus took a seat next to Sirius on the bed, leaning over to get himself on the screen.

“Wow, the famous Harry Potter knows who I am?” Remus asked with disbelief.

“Come on now, Remus,” James huffed, sounding put-upon, “You are his number one favorite Olympic swimmer.” 

Sirius shrieked with indignation, “More than his own godfather who plays Wiggles songs for him?”

James kept going, not acknowledging Sirius anymore, “He thinks you’re positively graceful, Remus. Reminiscent of a swan, he says, and you probably even answer your phone. There is no one like you in the sport, he says.”

“Wow those are some lofty and verbally-advanced praises for a baby. I’ve got to meet this prodigy!” Remus exclaimed. James wore a very serious expression on his face, but must have been extraordinarily pleased with Remus’ response, as he pointed at him through the camera and gave a very emphatic “Yes.”

As James was talking, a head of shiny red hair entered the screen. Lily sat down beside James, Harry slung over her shoulder, and smiled brightly at them. 

“Hi!” Lily exclaimed while patting baby Harry on the back. “Remus, I haven’t met you yet. I’m Lily, this bloke’s wife.”

“Lily, you’re just as beautiful as James described you. It’s nice to meet you.” Remus responded. Lily laughed and looked at James fondly, as if this were something that she had heard many times before. 

“You’re sweet Remus, and it’s lovely to meet you too. James is a big fan of yours, and crazy about your friend… Peter is it?” Remus laughed and nodded before Lily continued on, “How is our Sirius treating you? He’s not rummaging around your pantry and eating all of your cashews is he?” Sirius burst out laughing.

“No, I’ve been very respectful of you and your cashews, right Remus?” Sirius asked in an innocent tone, turning his head toward Remus.

Remus snorted at the question, causing the corner of Sirius’ mouth to tick up. But Remus must have remembered that they had an audience because he quickly stifled his initial response and replaced it with something more mild. “I believe that all of my cashews remain untouched, though I’ll be sure to keep track of them from now on. But Sirius has been great -- even my dog has already taken to him, so no red flags.” 

“Good Sirius!” Lily responded melodiously in the tone of a pre-school teacher, causing Sirius to furrow his brow. Harry began to whimper softly and she turned to face him. “Oh, you want to say hello to your godfather, don’t you? You’re such a sweet boy.” Lily turned Harry around to face the camera and his bright green eyes scanned the screen from Remus to Sirius and he let out a gleeful coo.

“Heyyyy Hairball,” Sirius said affectionately and then turned away from the camera. “His name is Harry the Hairball,” he told Remus matter-of-factly before turning back to the screen. 

“Hey Harry,” Remus said with a bright smile on his face. “I’ve heard all about you, and I hear that you’re a baby genius?”

Sirius tacked on, still looking joyfully at a smiling Harry, “Yes, he’s going to be famous one day. He already knows his times tables. Quiz him, Remus.”

“Hey!” James practically shrieked, “I know what you’re doing! Enough making fun of me!” Lily laughed at her husband’s outburst and started bouncing Harry on her knee. 

“Oh, Sirius, I talked to Reg the other day,” Lily offered, and Sirius raised his eyebrows in interest. “He asked us to help your parents arrange the rehearsal dinner! Isn’t that great? It’s less than eight months away now!” 

“So I guess that means my relatives won’t be there, then?” Sirius deducted hopefully.

“Nope, just your parents and friends,” James answered, “I was totally shocked he asked us, Sirius. I didn’t even know he liked me, and I’ve known him literally since he was born.” He added curiously after a moment of thought, “He’s always looked at me like I’m a strange sea creature he’s never seen before, sort of like he wants to poke me.”

“I mean, that’s not an uncommon reaction to you, but I see your point,” Sirius said, nodding his head knowingly at James. “But, fantastic! I’m glad this is one less event during which I need to avoid the entire Black family.” 

“Oh don’t worry about all that, Siri,” Lily said confidently. “You know we have your back. They don’t stand a chance.”

“Thanks Lily. I’m not going to worry about it,” Sirius said warmly into the phone, then looked over at Remus, who was petting Bear next to the bed. “Hey guys, I’m going to jump off. Remus and I are going to head out for a hike soon so I need to get out of bed so he doesn’t think I’m lazy.” 

“Okay mate, don’t go off the grid again. Otherwise I will start waking you up even earlier,” James responded seriously, lifting an index finger up at Sirius in a punitive gesture. 

Remus laughed while scratching behind Bear’s ear and assured, “James, I will make him text you, I promise. Your early phone calls are waking up both of us and I really do enjoy sleeping in.” 

“Okay, let’s let them go James,” Lily cut in, nudging her husband’s shoulder as he ate the last bite off of his apple. “It was so nice to meet you Remus! We love you Sirius, can’t wait to see you when you get back.” 

Remus and Sirius both said their goodbyes before Sirius hung up the phone. Remus planted a soft kiss on his mouth before he got up to get ready for their day.

*****

Remus hauled an orange kayak out of the back of his truck and nodded to Sirius to grab the other boat, a slightly longer model in a bright teal blue. “Psst,” Remus whispered, leaning over to grab hold of the two paddles laying against the side of the truck bed with his free hand, “the blue one is the best.” He pressed the hatch shut and flashed Sirius a wide smile.

Sirius gasped at Remus from behind his aviators, taking one of the paddles from Remus. “You’re just too good to me,” he said wistfully, following Remus toward the lake bank.

Remus paused for a moment to browse the beach for a private area they could launch from. It was Fall so the lake was fairly vacant, as expected, but there were a few families set up with beach towels and Remus saw several paddle boarders out on the eastern side of the shore. 

Remus pointed his paddle to the left and offered, “Looks like that area is empty, and we can paddle out around the west shore. Shouldn’t come across anyone that way.”

Sirius nodded and continued to walk in that direction, Remus following behind. They approached the bank a minute later and dropped their kayaks into the wet sand. “You sure you don’t want to use your blue one?” Sirius asked, kneeling down to rub the side of the boat fondly. “She sure is a beaut,” he finished in his best American accent.

“No, I want you to have the fast one,” Remus said, pulling his wayfarers down from atop his head and smiling again at Sirius, “Also, it’s way less stable, so I am looking forward to seeing you tip over.”

Sirius suddenly looked stricken and stilled his hand on the boat. He looked up at Remus and muttered, “Well you’ll save me, right? I can’t swim.”

“You’re such an idiot,” Remus managed to say while biting his lip to stifle his amusement, before pulling the nose of his kayak out into the water, sliding into the seat, and pushing off. “Okay, let’s paddle out past the buoys and veer hard to the left,” Remus said back over his shoulder. 

Ten seconds later, Sirius was speeding past him looking like he’s been rowing his whole life. Remus’ jaw automatically dropped and he called out, “Explain yourself!”, before paddling in doubletime to catch up. 

“I was in the rowing club at university,” Sirius turned toward him and announced.

“I didn’t know you were on the--”, Remus started, then stopped right in his tracks when Sirius snorted and tipped his head back in disbelief. “Someday I will stop falling for that,” he said in a more regal tone than warranted, causing Sirius to laugh harder.

Remus let his mind wander as they pressed on toward the west shore through placid, crystal blue waters. Sirius had been in Tahoe for four days now, and the visit couldn’t have been going any better. Remus was beginning to discover these little idiosyncrasies about Sirius that he found absolutely adorable and unexpected. 

First, there was the fact that Sirius was constantly humming obscure 2000’s pop songs under his breath, ones that Remus hadn’t heard in years but always recognized after scouring his brain. 

Second, Sirius could fall asleep anywhere, in a minute, whenever the opportunity presented itself. The other night, he and Sirius were watching a movie that had both of them in stitches; the next moment, Remus’ attention was directed toward Bear, who was whining because Sirius’ hand had stilled because he was out cold. It had happened again when they were lying in bed and Sirius was telling Remus a story involving James bleaching his hair in an effort to look more like Lance Bass to impress Lily, and he had fallen asleep mid-sentence. 

Third, and most special to Remus, Sirius was extremely excitable. He was down for every idea that Remus suggested, and not just down to go along with it, but thrilled. His eyes would light up and he’d bounce up and down, even about mundane activities like walking to the grocery store. In fact, as Sirius had told the story about James’ poor hair decision before abruptly falling asleep, Remus was sure that the blame mostly fell on Sirius for encouraging him. 

Sirius approached everything as if it was an adventure worth going on, which made their interactions that much more energizing to Remus, especially when they were intimate. Sirius always looked at Remus with his eyes wide in disbelief as their limbs wrapped around each other, as if he were the only male he had ever seen. It was incredible, and Remus could not get enough.

They had gone on several hikes during the days, filling the gaps with trail runs and long walks in the forested area near Remus’ house, and spent the evenings lazily talking on the back deck and cooking together. Sirius had decided to book his flight back on the 6th, needing to get back to London for a shoot, which gave them just a couple more days together. The two men had now established a strong bond that caused their time together to get better and better. 

Sirius sighed heavily. “I’m in love with this lake,” he proclaimed finally, and Remus almost melted at the seriousness in his voice.

“Yeah?” He asked with an amused smile, intently watching Sirius’ face as he paused his rowing to look around and fully take in the scene.

“Absolutely. First, it’s bloody gorgeous. Nature doesn’t look like this in England. Second, I’ve never fully appreciated how incredible lakes are. They are so superior to the ocean!” Sirius said while releasing his right hand from the paddle and waving it around, and Remus laughed at his enthusiasm. “If I fall in, the water isn’t freezing. There are no riptides, and even more importantly, no sharks.”

“I feel exactly the same way,” Remus said, shrugging his left shoulder in agreement, “So you see why I love it here then?” 

“Of course I do,” Sirius said as his eyes finished taking in the surroundings and landed back on Remus, his smile still present but a little smaller now, almost apprehensive. “It’s a lot different than London,” he offered, raising his eyebrows a touch.

“Well London is amazing too,” Remus corrected, and he laughed when Sirius’ smile perked up again. “But yes, it’s essentially the opposite of Tahoe.”

“Have you spent a lot of time there?” Sirius asked with interest. 

“I’ve been there a couple times, but they weren’t… substantial visits, you know? Mostly in a hotel room or a pool. Haven’t really gotten to experience London,” Remus offered.

“Oh, that’s perfect. It’s no nature haven, of course, but there are so many other reasons to love it. I will make it my mission, Remus,” Sirius said, and Remus could, once again, feel his excitement as Sirius seemed to consider the possibilities in his head. They had not talked about Remus visiting London yet, but they had both been thinking about it. Visiting London was the next logical step for them if they wanted to continue this, and Remus had known he had wanted to take that step for a couple days now. He couldn’t suppress his smile, knowing that Sirius was so much on the same page about moving their relationship forward that it didn’t even require a discussion. Sirius beamed back at him.

“Absolutely. I’m sure you will,” Remus said. They held eye contact for a little longer before turning their attention back to the kayaks, deciding to race the rest of the way to the shore. 

Remus reached the west shore first, although he was sure that Sirius’ kayak overturning at the very end had been on purpose with two intentions: to let Remus win and to make Remus laugh. It had worked on both counts. Sirius deftly hauled himself back up into the boat, a difficult feat with no leverage, and shook his dripping wet hair out. They pulled their paddles up out of the water and were leaning back, talking and enjoying the sunshine.

Just as their conversation came back to London, Remus’ attention was drawn toward a figure approaching on the left, which wouldn’t have been noteworthy, had Remus not realized this was someone he knew. Very well. From the looks of it, Caradoc had just started paddleboarding, having entered the lake from the west shore.

“Shit…” Remus muttered, cutting Sirius off as he described his favorite bar in London which sold small glasses of beer for a dollar each, like they do in France. Sirius followed Remus’ line of sight and saw Caradoc, a look of recognition flashing across his face. 

He laughed apprehensively. “Wow. That’s a crazy coincidence. I’m guessing you haven’t told him about this?” Sirius asked quickly.

“Ah, no. I haven’t talked to him since I left Sydney,” Remus offered back, feeling some panic arising inside of him. “This might get weird.” He began racking his brain about how to explain to his favorite teammate why he was just hanging out here in Tahoe, with his biggest rival, from Great Britain, who is unexplainably in the States. It occurred to him there would be no way around telling him Sirius had come to visit Remus specifically, which was... just a vague way of saying they’re dating. Sirius and Caradoc were friendly, of course, but Remus was mortified that Caradoc was going to find out about them before Remus had had an opportunity to tell him. Or anyone else for that matter.

“No, it’s going to be fine,” Sirius said, unphased, and he must have sensed Remus’ apprehension because the next thing he did was slide swiftly out of the kayak and into the water. “You have two minutes and approximately 45 seconds to greet and deflect,” Sirius said. 

Remus looked over at Caradoc, who was now waving at him, then back to Sirius, who was treading water behind his kayak. Sirius grinned and encouragingly instructed a bewildered Remus, “He’s gonna come say hi. Just make something up.” As soon as Sirius finished speaking, he disappeared into the water and Remus looked around in disbelief, unable to find where he had gone. There was no sign of him in the perfectly clear water. He gave up and turned his attention back to Caradoc, who was only about 20 feet away now.

“Hey man!” Caradoc exclaimed. “I can’t believe we are running into each other out here.” 

Remus laughed, then focused his attention on wrapping up this conversation in the next three minutes as he offered back, “I know! What are the chances?”

“You may not be swimming anymore, but we are still destined to hang out,” Caradoc laughed, “I’m not even surprised.”

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re my best hiking buddy, and you know I’ll still join you on training sessions,” Remus said, trying to match Caradoc’s enthusiasm, and automatically looked around again.

Caradoc’s eyes flickered. “Who are you out here with?” Caradoc motioned to the empty kayak. Remus had been expecting this question and went with the first lie that he could come up with.

“Oh, just one of Pete’s friends who is visiting. I’m showing him around a little while Pete’s working today,” he said nonchalantly.

“Where did he go?” Caradoc asked and Remus felt he could tell a little bit of the truth this time. 

“He’s taking a quick swim, not sure where he is at the moment though. He probably swam to shore for a second. Maybe I should go look around for him,” Remus suggested, thinking this was the perfect exit strategy. “Plus I don’t want to keep you from enjoying the water. This might be one of the last warm days of the year.” 

“Good call! But text me, okay? Let’s catch up soon, I want to hear all about your trip to New Zealand.” Remus quickly agreed that he would, and Caradoc began to paddle away. 

When Caradoc was sufficiently far out, Remus began more actively searching for Sirius to no avail. Had Sirius not been an olympic swimmer, Remus would have worried that he had drowned. Just as he was about to jump into the water and begin searching, he felt a bump underneath his boat and knew where Sirius was. Seconds later, he was being flipped over and he crashed into the water. Hands immediately grabbed his waist and when he came up for air, he was face to face with Sirius. 

“How did you do that?!” Remus asked with disbelief, blinking the water out of his eyes, “You were just… gone!” 

“I was under my kayak for most of it. Then I saw his shadow moving away,” Sirius responded matter-of-factly before he placed a kiss on Remus’ mouth. Remus grabbed his face and kissed him back, laughter between their lips. They stayed that way for a while, treading water, before they got back into their kayaks and headed back toward the shore.


	11. Chapter 11

Remus kissed tenderly along the side of Sirius’ neck, his lips following the path of bright morning sunlight that was peeking through the curtain and falling across Sirius’ sleeping form. He let his head fall back down on the pillow, breathing in the scent of his shampoo on Sirius’ hair, and wrapped his hand around Sirius’ hip. He stayed like this for a while, just enjoying the sound of birds chirping outside the window and Sirius Black in his bed.

Remus had snuck away to let the dog out that morning before returning to snuggle in against the other man’s back, not wanting Bear to interrupt what he had planned. As his hand trailed back and forth across Sirius’ abdomen, moving lower, and lower, and dangerously lower, he felt Sirius’ hip twitch and his breath stutter. Sirius was waking up and Remus smiled.

Remus pressed himself more firmly against Sirius and lifted his head again slightly. “Happy Birthday,” he whispered into his ear, playfully biting at Sirius’ ear lobe. Sirius’ breathing froze for a second, then he responded with a groan of dread.

“I hate my birthday,” Sirius admitted hoarsely without opening his eyes, the tone of his voice matching his morose words. Remus knew this, though. He had found out that Sirius’ birthday was November 3rd through a simple Google search, and after realizing that Sirius would be in Tahoe on that day, Remus had reached out to James via text to ask for advice. 

James informed him that Sirius’ birthdays growing up involved expensive, uptight dinners with his family’s social circle, and then when he got a little older, began to involve tons of alcohol and partying following those increasingly painful family charades. According to James, Sirius had avoided his birthday completely since distancing himself from his family. Remus was determined to change this.

“Not this year,” Remus responded as his hand grazed over Sirius’ cock. He pushed his own growing erection against the small of Sirius’ back, aware of how much Sirius loved knowing that Remus was turned on by him. It worked; Sirius released a breathy moan and reached his hand back to grab Remus’ ass.

“How did you even know?” Sirius asked a little hesitantly, shifting his head to allow Remus to continue trailing kisses down his neck.

“I know how to use Google,” Remus hummed, and Sirius laughed softly. The laugh was cut short, however, as Remus’ hand went from lightly teasing at to wrapping around Sirius’ cock. Remus continued with a few firm, slow strokes as Sirius’ breath became more disjointed, before shifting backwards and moving his hand up Sirius’ body to push him onto his back.

Remus climbed on top of Sirius and straddled him, then pinned Sirius’ wrists against the bed. Remus took a long moment to admire Sirius’ body splayed out wantonly underneath him, the tight muscles of his torso contracting and releasing with each ragged breath. He leaned down tantalizingly slowly and kissed Sirius’ lips, who eagerly reciprocated and arched his back, unable to suppress a moan when he felt their cocks sliding against each other.

Remus broke the kiss and leaned up again, and Sirius must have been disappointed by this, because he lifted his head and attempted to pull his hands from Remus’ grasp. But Remus pressed harder into Sirius’ wrists, then leaned back down to leave a light trail of kisses against his chest, and rose back up again to meet his gaze. When he was sure Sirius would stay put, he shifted his weight and used one hand to grab the two satin ties that he had placed on the nightstand that morning, and he continued pinning Sirius’ wrists down with the other. Sirius laid completely still, his eyes glued to Remus.

“What are you doing?” Sirius asked slowly, his voice trembling from what Remus knew was excitement.

Remus leaned back down until his lips hovered just over Sirius’. “It’s your birthday, and I’m going to fuck you,” he breathed. He kissed him once before leaning forward and tying Sirius’ hands to the wrought iron of his headboard. Sirius’ eyes remained wide with awe and anticipation, like every time he and Remus were in bed together. “And you’re not going to do _any_ of the work this time,” he said, looking down at Sirius’ blown pupils. 

Legs still anchored on either side of Sirius’ hips, Remus leaned over toward the nightstand again and grabbed the bottle of lube out of the top drawer. He settled over Sirius and raised himself up onto his knees. Sirius sighed heavily and canted his hips as he watched Remus’ cock bounce with the upward movement. 

As Remus opened the bottle and slicked his hand with lube, he realized that he had never seen Sirius so quiet, so attentive. His eyes were hanging on to Remus’ every move, and he was going to make the most out of his position.

He reached between his legs and began to prepare himself, using just one finger at first, fighting to keep eye contact as his eyelids threatened to close from both the sensation and Sirius’ eyes on him, watching so intently. He added another finger and moaned, every sensation heightened by the look hunger on the man below him. When Sirius released a sound comparable to a wild animal, he bit down on his lip, feeling Sirius’ frustration increase with every thrust of his hand now.

“Remus,” Sirius practically growled as he tilted his head back and pulled at his wrist restraints, too aroused to continue merely watching Remus.

In response, Remus removed his fingers and angled his hips forward slightly, positioning himself above Sirius’ achingly hard cock. He grabbed Sirius’ base and attentively coated him with lube, eliciting a whimper of relief from Sirius. Remus began lowering himself, sinking down onto Sirius’ cock so slowly, continuing to watch the reactions on Sirius’ face with rapt attention.

When Sirius was fully sheathed inside of him, he pressed a hand against Sirius’ chest, and they just breathed together. Remus locked eyes with Sirius’ after a few moments, and he began to rock up and down.

The tempo of Remus’ movements increased quickly, taking Sirius all the way out before pressing down again, becoming more uninhibited with every writhe of Sirius’ body beneath him and every sound of pleasure escaping his mouth. When Remus felt Sirius’ eyes keenly glued to his bouncing cock, he sped up even faster, eventually hitting a point where Sirius couldn’t hold back any longer. He bent his knees for better leverage and when he snapped his hips, Remus threw his head back as a shock of white overtook his vision. The new angle was pressing Sirius’ cock against his prostate, and Remus felt himself quickly approaching his release with every thrust from the man beneath him.

“Touch yourself,” Sirius demanded, and Remus obeyed instantly. Sirius maintained their frantic pace while Remus stroked his own cock, panting as the heat in his body continued building.

Remus was completely lost – in the feel of Sirius’ eyes fixated on his body, Sirius moving inside of him – and yelled out Sirius’ name as release washed over him. As soon as the warm liquid shot out to coat Sirius’ stomach, Sirius threw his head back with a loud growl, and Remus felt his cock pulsing inside of him as he chased his own release. Fighting to keep his eyes open, Remus watched intently as Sirius rode out the final throes of his orgasm -- Remus’ name shouted repeatedly from his lips, his chest heaving, and his arms pulling so hard against the ties that Remus was surprised that his headboard was not fractured.

They stayed like this for a moment, listening to the hushed sounds of their frenzied, satiates breathing. Remus slowly pulled himself off of his body and made a quick dash to the bathroom for a wet washcloth. He was back before Sirius could even notice that he had left the bed, and he gently cleaned off Sirius’ stomach, taking notice that the man’s eyes were still closed. 

Remus laid back down and sidled against Sirius’ chest. He reached an arm up to unfasten the ties around Sirius’ wrists and rubbed both of them affectionately before slumping back down against his chest, his head moving with the rise and fall of Sirius’ breath. A couple minutes passed, and then Sirius’ arms moved to circle around Remus. Remus sighed, utterly relaxed, before tilting his chin up to look at his face.

“God, Remus…” Sirius spoke earnestly, opening his eyes to look at Remus when he felt his head lift. Remus mustered the energy to hum in response, but Sirius remained quiet. He rolled off of Sirius and onto his side, then coaxed Sirius to do the same so that they were lying face to face. Remus chastely kissed the corner of his mouth and placed a hand on his waist, using his thumb to draw small circles on his skin.

“Sorry,” Sirius muttered before laughing through his nose, while Remus raised his eyebrows. “I’m having a difficult time understanding how you exist.”

Remus laughed, looking into Sirius’ eyes quizzically. “What do you mean?” he inquired.

Sirius rubbed his forehead in thought while he responded, not making direct eye contact with Remus anymore, “You’re so kind and interesting and independent. You’re so easy to be around and you’re funny. Then you go and do what you just did, and _wow._ Remus, I have no words for that. I have never experienced anything like this before.” Sirius made a motion with his free hand between the two of them. “It’s a little overwhelming for me right now.”

Remus nodded and pressed a kiss to Sirius’ lips, not pressing him to elaborate. Minutes passed as they laid in silence, eyes closed, their breathing becoming slow and deep. Remus could feel himself drifting to sleep, but jerked back awake at the sound of Sirius’ voice, soft and inquisitive.

“When did you start seeing me differently?” Sirius asked, then clarified further, “I mean, you came to Sydney not being my biggest fan, we know that. When did that change for you?” Remus moved his hand to push a lock of Sirius’ black hair behind his ear, letting it linger there briefly before moving it back to rest at his waist.

“Hmm,” he started, brushing his fingertips along Sirius’ skin, thinking about the question seriously. “Well, I was certainly... apprehensive about seeing you. I was swimming in the practice pool before all the athletes arrived, and I remember specifically hoping we would continue avoiding each other. But my feelings about you at that point had a lot to do with how I reacted in Athens, in hindsight. I was so embarrassed,” Remus said, frowning a moment before continuing on. 

“I knew I would never lose my cool like that again, of course, but I just… I don’t know, I just wanted to avoid it all. But then we kept running into each other, and you know what, I felt even more terrible when I noticed it eventually, but you acted like a nervous puppy around me at first.” Remus felt Sirius lightly shake with laughter before he continued, “Like when you bumped into me at the opening ceremonies and I was a total asshole. Little did you realize, I’m actually the most harmless person on Earth. And then we somehow ran into each other at the record store, which was just...”

“I cannot believe that happened,” Sirius interjected.

“Crazy,” Remus agreed as he smiled, thinking about that day. “You were so funny and we got along so easily. It caught me completely off-guard, if you remember,” Remus said, tracing his index finger along Sirius’ jaw for a moment. “I kind of freaked out and booked it out of there. I think that once I recognized that I actually didn’t want to get out of your presence as fast as possible anymore, I stopped suppressing the fact that you were the most attractive guy that I had ever seen in my fucking life,” Sirius hummed with pleasure just as Remus knew that he would, and he continued, “and I decided to just treat you like a normal person. See where that would lead.”

“I mean, you’re only human. You could only ignore my dashing good looks for so long,” Sirius mused. “Don’t beat yourself up over it too much.” 

“Mmm, I was stupid to think that I was strong enough to fight it, especially with you being freshly showered and wearing sweatpants,” Remus said wistfully.

“Don’t view it as a failure, Remus. Really. View it more as if you were…” Sirius glanced away for a moment with a thoughtful expression, before looking back into Remus’ eyes and continuing, “kayaking upstream, for no logical reason.” Remus shook his head but Sirius paid no mind and continued his metaphor, “And as you tried to paddle further, the current became stronger and stronger until you had no choice but to stop your pointless fight and embrace it. And once you did, you realized that it was the greatest and most pleasurable decision you ever made.” 

Remus burst out in laughter, causing Sirius’ smile to brighten even more, lighting up the room. Then Remus nodded vigorously, his eyes comically wide, making Sirius laugh in turn.

“So, Sirius, what do you want to do today?” Remus asked after a moment, not wanting to push the birthday issue too much.

“My day is already made,” Sirius responded, as his hand moved down to rest on Remus’ ass, and Remus snorted. “Disaster could strike today and it would still be the best birthday of my life. James could call and disown me, and it would still be a good day. My aunt could ring your doorbell right now and scream at me for being a low-life homosexual intent on bringing down the Black name, and I would just smile and proudly tell her, with stars in my eyes because of you, that that is the most apt and beautiful description of myself that I have ever heard. Forget that bit about me being an Olympic swimmer, no longer important.”

Remus shook his head as his body trembled with laughter again, more and more amused by Sirius’ mini-tirades. He managed, “You’re ridiculous. Need I remind you that that bit about you being an Olympic swimmer is how we got into this bed together in the first place, though?”

“So true, Remus. I am indebted to the sport forever. I shall never complain about another training day ever again,” Sirius replied, then rolled onto his back to pull Remus down alongside him. After taking a few moments to trace the musculature of Sirius’ chest, Remus pushed up onto his hands to look down at his face.

“I say we at least start the day with some coffee,” Remus opined, and Sirius responded with a moan.

“I do love it when you’re assertive,” Sirius mused, pulling Remus back down onto his chest so that they were eye-level. “Tell me how else you want to _start the day_.” 

Remus smiled coyly, happy to play along. “Well…” he started, putting on a theatrically raspy voice, “I thought that we would sit out on the porch and enjoy our coffee together.”

“Oh Remus, don’t stop,” Sirius murmured, clenching his eyes shut in feigned ecstasy, and Remus bit his lip to keep from laughing.

“Mhm. No sugar, no cream,” he said, moving his lips progressively closer to Sirius’ with each word, “just _black_.”

Sirius broke his charade for a second to release a burst of laughter before straightening his face once again. “Oh fuck yeah,” he breathed, squinting his eyes.

“And then I will make you hashbrowns and an omelet,” Remus brought his voice down to a whisper as his lips hovered above Sirius’ ear. “A _birthday_ omelet.” Sirius’ chest vibrated below Remus as he released an over-the-top moan.

“What are you going to put in it, Remus?” Sirius asked, his voice remaining admirably sultry considering the silly nature of their conversation.

“Mmm. First I’ll add kale,” He placed a kiss under Sirius’ ear and moved down his jawline after every word. “Mushrooms.” Kiss. “Bell pepper.” Kiss. “Turkey sausage.” Kiss. “And finally…” Remus pulled his head up, looked Sirius straight in the eyes, and mustered the sexiest, most breathy voice that he could, “ _avocado._ ” Sirius threw his head back melodramatically and groaned for a solid ten seconds. Remus sat up to watch this act and immediately began laughing at the sight. 

“Okay, come on now,” Remus said finally, then stepped onto the ground. He pulled on a pair of boxers and grabbed Sirius by the wrist in an attempt to get him out of the cozy bed. After a couple tugs, Sirius gave in and stood up. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants as Remus pulled a t-shirt out of his dresser, and a few seconds later, they both padded downstairs. 

*****

They spent the morning as planned, drinking coffee on the back terrace while playing a rousing game of Would You Rather. After they had breakfast as Remus had promised, Sirius decided that a joint shower was the next thing that he wanted for his birthday and Remus was more than happy to oblige.

“Do you know what I adore about you?” Remus asked, as he joined Sirius in the living room and crawled on top of the couch to straddle him. Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus’ waist and Remus leaned in closer to kiss him squarely on the mouth.

Sirius pulled back to look at Remus, raised his eyebrows, and smiled charmingly. “Um, my cock?”

“Oh my god,” Remus said through a snort and dropped his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking.

“I’m not wrong though?” Sirius inquired, pursing his lips knowingly. Remus let out a defeated sigh, shaking his head to communicate that no, Sirius was definitely not wrong, and his lips quirked up before continuing, “But was there something else you were referring to?”

Remus removed his hands from where they were attached to his face and took a deep breath to reset the conversation. “I was _going to say_ that I love how excited you get about everything. It makes even the most mundane activities special and fun. Like drinking coffee on the porch.” 

Sirius moved his hands up Remus’ jeans-clad thighs teasingly slowly. “Or showering?” he suggested.

Remus relaxed a gust of breath at that. “Sirius, your stamina is—”, he started, before Sirius cut in.

“No, no,” Sirius laughed, squeezing Remus’ thighs reassuringly, “I’m just admiring you. It’s hard not to.” Remus smiled rested his forehead against Sirius’, enjoying the calmness of the moment.

But the tranquility was soon interrupted by a series of fierce barks from Bear, who had just entered the room and had run frantically up to the two men. Remus sat up in confusion when the barking did not stop and realized with complete shock that Bear was barking at _him_. Sirius burst into a fit of laughter and prodded Remus to get off from on top of him. Once Remus had shifted his body to sit beside Sirius on the couch, Bear’s barking subsided and he laid down at the two mens’ feet.

Remus’ mouth was agape for a beat before he spoke again. “He’s never barked at me like that before! What happened to loyalty, Bear?!”

“I guess you were right the whole time, Remus,” Sirius said while giving Bear a pat on the butt. “He’s my guardian angel.”

“Unbelievable. You were an orphan dog when I found you. I took you in and gave you a life of luxury, and this is how you repay me?” Remus exclaimed, and Bear’s tail started wagging wildly in response to Remus’ energetic tone.  

“Sorry Remus, he had to save me from you ravaging me, _again,”_ Sirius cut in, a sly smile on his face. Remus snorted indignantly and laid his head back onto the armrest.

“Oh you poor thing, I’ll make sure to give you a rest then,” he chided.

“Impossible, I’m irresistible to you. You’d break in a heartbeat,” Sirius stated, his eyes piercing into Remus’ provokingly. Remus raised his eyebrows in challenge, so Sirius leaned over to pull Remus’ legs out from under him to leave him lying flat on his back, body stretched along the length of the couch. 

“Oh no, Sirius,” Remus started, working hard to keep his tone mild and uninterested, “I’ll let you rest up. I’m sure you’ll appreciate the break.”

“You couldn’t do it, you’re too needy, baby,” Sirius slinked over him, his hands running underneath Remus’ shirt while his face came eye level to Remus’, lightly brushing their lips together.

“You love how perfectly my cock fits inside of you, Remus,” Sirius said simply, but cutting right to the core of what he knew would drive him crazy, then looked up at Remus from behind his long eyelashes. Remus’ resolve instantly crumbled, and he felt himself becoming hard again. He vaguely registered the satisfied smirk painted on Sirius’ face at the sight of his surrender, but he was past the point of caring.

“I know how to hit you in just the right place, don’t I?” Sirius continued, lips kissing underneath his ear. He moved his hand down and unzipped Remus’ jeans, sliding it inside. When he felt how hard Remus had become despite previous protests, Remus felt him smile into his neck and softly laugh, in awe of how quickly Remus’ body responded to him.

“Don’t I, Remus?” Sirius asked again, fingers moving along his length, so lightly that Remus thought that he might go insane.

“Fuck. Yes, Sirius. You really do. It’s fucking incredible,” Remus breathed desperately, trying to keep his voice even, despite the wave of desire rushing through his veins. Sirius rewarded his answer by wrapping a hand more firmly around him, and Remus moaned, becoming more and more aroused by how shockingly fast Sirius’ voice and touch affected his body. 

After a couple seconds, Sirius’ hand stilled and he shifted himself down Remus’ body. He kissed Remus’ sternum before trailing his tongue down the center of his abdomen, stopping only to pull Remus’ jeans and boxers down his hips. Sirius’ mouth returned to his skin, lapping at his hip bone before dragging his tongue closer to center, right below his navel. Remus closed his eyes as his chest heaved up and down furiously, bracing himself for what he knew was coming next. But the sensation never came, as the moment was interrupted by a loud series of sounds. Remus was pulled from his trance — someone was knocking on his door, and Bear was barking frantically in response.

A moment’s silence passed. “No. No, I can’t,” Remus whined in frustration.

“Can we just ignore it?” Sirius asked as he sat up. Remus was thankful that Sirius had moved away, his thoughts immediately becoming clearer the further away Sirius’ mouth got from his groin.

“Probably not,” Remus groaned, pressing his thumb and index finger against his eye sockets, willing his rational faculties back. “There are only so many people who knock on my door, and every one of them would know I’m here because my truck is parked outside.” 

“Do you want me to answer it?” Sirius asked. Remus thought about that for a second before realizing that no, that wouldn’t be a good idea either.

“No, it’s most likely my mom, who might die from shock if you answered the door. It just hit me that she got back from visiting her sister in California last night,” Remus said and pulled his jeans back up and buttoned them uncomfortably before standing up. “I haven’t checked my phone since yesterday afternoon, and she probably left me a ton of messages with no response,” he explained, taking a series of quick breaths to finish bringing his brain back to this plane of reality, “Probably thinks I’m dead.”

“Oh no,” Sirius responded, and the knocking picked up again in the background. “Okay, what do you want me to do?” 

Remus yelled to the door that he would be there in a minute as he grabbed Sirius around the waist to pull him close. “Do you think you can hold your breath for ten minutes while she’s here? Until I can assure her that I am alive and then send her away?” he asked quietly and leaned forward to kiss Sirius. He laughed as he turned to walk toward the front door, “I’m joking. Just stay here. She didn’t know you were going to be here because we haven’t had a real conversation since the Olympics. So she’ll be surprised, but I want you to meet her.”

Remus left Sirius in the living room and opened the front door to greet his mother. Her dark blonde hair was clipped into an easy bun and her face wore a look of relief once she saw Remus. He immediately hugged her in greeting, the two of them doing their best not to trip over Bear who was circling excitedly around Hope.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Remus exclaimed preemptively, knowing how worried she got if she didn’t hear from him for over a day. 

“It’s okay, Rem,” Hope laughed lightly, relaxing now. She brushed her long bangs behind her ears, exposing high cheekbones, which were a spitting image of her son’s. “You’re a grown man. I feel silly to get so worried, but sometimes I just can’t help it.” 

“I know, I don’t mind. I’ve just been a bit preoccupied for the last week and forgot that you got back last night,” he said, squeezing her shoulder.

“Oh? What have you been up to?” Hope asked with interest as she floated past Remus. “Let’s have some coffee so we can talk about it. And I’ll tell you about California too.”

“Ah, Mom, wait a second,” Remus said apprehensively as he grabbed her forearm gently to stop her from moving any further into the house. Hope turned back to him with raised eyebrows, and Remus wasn’t surprised by her look of confusion. 

“Is someone here? Did I interrupt something?” She asked suddenly with wide eyes, an almost hopeful expression forming on her face. 

“Yes, actually,” Remus admitted while nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, I’m happy you’re here. I just haven’t had a chance to tell you yet that, uh,” he opened his mouth silently for a moment, then finished, “I’m dating someone.” 

“Oh wow,” Hope responded, her eyes shining brightly. “I’m surprised, of course, but that’s great news.” Her volume lowered to a whisper as she continued, “Do you want me to leave? I would hate to barge in before you’re ready… I remember how long you made me wait to meet Garrett.”

“No, stay. Coffee sounds great, I’ll make it in a minute. I just didn’t want you to be completely surprised to see… somebody else here,” Remus responded quickly, before leading the way back through the house. Hope began telling Remus about the thunderstorm she braved during her drive back from California the previous day, but went silent mid-sentence when she stepped foot into the living room, presumably recognizing the tall, dark-haired man who had just stood up from the couch.

“Sirius Black,” Hope exclaimed in complete surprise, her eyes moving back and forth between him and Remus. But Remus had to hand it to her, if she was apprehensive about the man, she hid it well and put on her sweetest smile. Sirius grinned back and walked over to shake her hand.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Lupin. Remus talks about you all the time,” Sirius said charmingly and inclined his head in respect, and Remus laughed when his mother visibly swooned at Sirius’  accent. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Sirius. And you can call me Hope. I’m sorry if I looked startled when I first saw you. I just didn’t expect… well, you,” Hope said in an apologetic tone, still looking a bit starstruck and surprised. Sirius nodded and laughed. 

There was something about having another person around that made Remus look at Sirius through new eyes, and Remus took a moment to appreciate how dazzling his smile truly was. And he could now see the classic Black charm — the years of wearing three-piece suits to high society dinner parties and the etiquette lessons — surfacing in Sirius’ interactions with his mother. For a second, he wondered why he had been nervous about introducing them at all.

“I think we are going to have to get used to that reaction. It is a bit unexpected,” Sirius quipped understandingly, and Hope laughed in response. It hadn’t taken long for the two to click.

“So when did all this start?” Hope asked as she and Sirius sat down on the couch. Before Sirius could answer, she turned back to Remus for a second. “Oh, Rem, honey? Could you make that coffee?” 

Remus huffed in surprise at his dismissal, locking eyes with Sirius who just raised his eyebrows at him, then headed to the kitchen to brew three cups of coffee. As he was grabbing mugs from his cabinet, he listened intently to Sirius’ description of their relationship, telling her that it had all really started the night of the bonfire. Hope was intrigued and hypnotized by Sirius’ willingness to share — she asked about how they got past the animosity, and Sirius responded with total openness.

When the coffee finished brewing, they had moved on to discussing what Sirius and Remus had been doing for the last week. Sirius was in the middle of describing a strenuous two-day hike in Desolation Wilderness that they had packed into one day, when Remus poured the coffee into three mugs and carried them into the living room. He set his down on a table before sliding the other two to Sirius and Hope. 

“Ah, my favorite mug. Thanks, honey,” Hope said as she wrapped her hands around the white mug with “I Heart Mom” written in bright red letters, and smiled at him lovingly. She nodded over to Sirius before addressing Remus again, “He really is extraordinarily good looking, isn’t he?” Sirius nearly spit out the drink of coffee he had just taken, but Hope was not deterred. “I take back what I said about his hair before. I get it now,” she explained, nodding wisely and smiling as she took a sip of coffee.

Remus grinned as he sat down in the chair adjacent to the couch, balancing the mug on his folded knee. He wasn’t caught off guard by his mom’s compliments like Sirius was; she was always like this about people and things she was fond of, with no pretense or attempt at beating around the bush, always coming out with what was on her mind. It was one of Remus’ favorite things about her. She would absolutely flip out if she knew that today was Sirius’ birthday, but Remus decided to keep her in the dark about that. After all, Sirius had been apprehensive enough with Remus making a small deal out of it, and Remus didn’t want to push him too far.

“I cannot disagree with anything that you just said,” Remus said evenly, taking a drink of his coffee. His eyes were trained on Sirius, who seemed to be remarkably comfortable with the current topic of conversation.

“And his voice and accent are breathtaking, aren’t they? So sultry. I could just listen to him talk all day,” Hope mused, and Remus felt his face becoming hot thinking of the impact that that voice routinely had on him, including 10 minutes ago before his mother had knocked on the door. He chanced a quick glance at Sirius and regretted it immediately. Sirius’ eyes were fixed on Remus and he had on the most coy smirk that Remus had ever seen him wear, which was saying something. But he quickly looked away from Remus and back to Hope, charitably deciding to veer the conversation in a different direction.

“You’re making me blush, Hope. But let’s talk about you for a second,” Sirius said, lifting his hand toward her. “I can see where Remus gets his athleticism from — you look like you could outrun both of us without breaking a sweat.” 

“Oh, she could,” Remus threw in proudly. “Marathon runner, right here.”

“Ouch, that’s incredible,” Sirius remarked, “I could never run that kind of distance.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Hope insisted, looking down bashfully. “You two are a couple of the best athletes in the world.”

“No, Mom, he’s right. We train for sprinting, not long distance. Plus we’re swimming, so it’s totally different. I don’t think I could run more than 10 miles, nor do I want to,” Remus laughed and Sirius nodded vigorously in agreement. 

Hope waved her hand at them, then asked, “Sirius, how long are you in town for?” 

“Just a couple more days,” Sirius replied a little sadly. “My flight leaves on the 6th in the afternoon. I have to get back to London for a commitment on the 8th.” 

“Oh, that’s too bad. But it sounds like you’ve had a good trip,” Hope replied before taking a second to think while turning her gaze to Remus. Remus could tell she was formulating a question but wanted to phrase it appropriately. “And do you have plans to go to London or anything?” Remus could see that Sirius was looking at him with equal interest in his answer.

“Not set in stone…” Remus started carefully, “but yes, that’s the plan. Sirius and I still need to figure out a date and all that.” Remus could tell that his short response wasn’t completely satisfactory for his mom, but she smiled anyway and held back from any additional questions, at least for the moment. Sirius, on the other hand, looked pleased with the answer, and Remus expected that he would push to talk about dates sooner rather than later.

The conversation then turned to Hope’s trip to see her sister, the highlights being the long run they had taken from the Bay Bridge through San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge and their night tour of Alcatraz. After a half hour of conversation passed and everyone had finished their coffee, Hope excused herself to use the restroom.

Hope’s footsteps sounded down the hallway, and surprisingly, began padding up the stairs. “Why is she going upstairs?” Sirius asked slowly, confused about why she wouldn’t use the hall restroom.

“Oh, she’s snooping,” Remus quipped back as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, getting up to walk to the kitchen. “Probably to see what room your suitcase is in,” he added, laughing when Sirius groaned.

“Oh God,” Sirius mumbled, most likely thinking of their disarrayed sheets and the clothing strewn on the floor, as he stood up to follow Remus. “Well, at least she liked me before she she saw the evidence of our morning.”

Remus chuckled again. “Sirius, she won’t care. You’ve won her over anyway. And also, this is my house and it doesn’t matter what she thinks about it anyway _,_ ” Remus said, then opened the fridge and handed Sirius a pack of smoked trout and grabbed a carton of hummus. That must have made sense to Sirius because he laughed to himself as he grabbed the bag of pita bread from the pantry. 

“You’re right. Sorry, I’m still not used to families being so civil,” Sirius admitted as he tore off a piece of bread and dipped it into the hummus. “Constant criticism is more my speed. I still have to remind myself not everyone is like that.”

“That makes sense. One day you’ll have a new normal. Mom and I will help you get there,” Remus smiled brightly and took a large bite of trout, his favorite food, and pushed the plate toward Sirius. He rolled his eyes back and made a sound of satisfaction. 

“Are you sure you want to share that?” Sirius asked with amusement, eyebrows raised at him. “I’d hate to rob you of anything that brings you that much joy.” 

Remus shot Sirius a cunning smile before pushing the plate closer to him. “I’m sure. Moaning in pleasure is always better when you’re doing it with me,” Remus responded while shooting Sirius an exaggerated wink, the combination of which made Sirius snort.

“Okay, kids,” Hope said as she re-entered the kitchen, “I’m going to head back home. I don’t want to impose on your last couple of days.” She crossed over to give Remus a peck on the cheek, then pulled Sirius into a hug. She stood straight again and said, “Sirius, I’m so glad I got to meet you, you’re absolutely lovely. Next time you’re here, let’s all go to dinner. I bet you have great taste in wine.” Both Sirius and Remus laughed because she wasn’t wrong. 

“Of course, I would love that,” he said, “but hopefully we can connect again sooner than my next visit. I want to hear about how your marathon goes next month.” Hope beamed with happiness, then they said their final goodbyes and she let herself out.

As soon as the front door closed, Sirius and Remus looked at each other. “Well,” Sirius drawled in a faux weighty tone, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter and absently tossing it into the air. “You’ve introduced me to your dog and your mother now, Remus, and they both love me. Guess this means things are getting pretty serious.”

Remus walked around the counter and kissed him soundly, in acknowledgment of how right Sirius was. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, Mr. Charming,” he said, taking the apple out of Sirius’ hand and depositing it back into the bowl, and pulling his arms around him. “Now... I believe we were in the middle of something.”

*****

“Wow, this place is completely empty,” Remus said gratefully, looking around at the vacant campground as he and Sirius made their way past the treeline toward the lakeshore. It was dusk when they had pulled up to the site, which Sirius knew he had specifically chosen for them given its perfect view of the night sky. As they approached the beach, the late evening sun was starting to sink down past the clouds and toward the treeline.

“We’ll head back and make a fire before it gets completely dark, but it’s the perfect time of day to show you this,” Remus said with an excited smile, pulling Sirius’ hand behind him, “we just need to scramble up those rocks.” He pointed toward a series of boulders on their left.

They made it to the top and Remus collapsed onto the rock’s edge and pulled Sirius down with him, their hands still clutched together. “Check out this sunset. Ever seen anything like it?”

By this point, the orange light of the setting sun had morphed into red, and the rays reflecting cleanly off of the lake made it look as though the water was on fire. The entire basin was suffused with an otherworldly glow that continued to evolve into richer, cooler hues as the sun fell deeper behind the mountains. 

“I absolutely haven’t,” Sirius agreed quietly, taking a minute to scan the panoramic view around them. He leaned his head onto the crook of Remus’ neck and Remus leaned back against him, and Sirius felt an overwhelming sense of contentment wash over him. There was something to be said about being able to sit with someone in total silence and appreciate the moment for everything that it was, no words needed.

They watched the sunset for a long while, the symbolism of which was not lost on Sirius, bringing unwelcome feelings of dread for the following day. As much as he wanted to fully enjoy his last night with Remus, the thought of being an ocean apart again was hard to stomach.

“We’ve got about 20 minutes of light left, so let’s head back in 10 and get the fire going,” Remus broke the silence and pulled his head up. “You remember the drill, don’t you?”

Sirius laughed as he thought back to that first night that they had kissed, knowing that Remus was doing the same. “I do, but I would prefer to watch a certain sexy outdoorsman do it this time. I’m sure you can teach me more than a YouTube video did.” 

Remus laughed in response, his thumb tenderly drawing circles on Sirius’ hand. It was small acts of affection like this that Sirius found he enjoyed the most — small acts that Sirius had only ever received from Remus, and he was never going to take them for granted. 

“You were so cute,” Remus started. Sirius laughed at the word choice and hummed to encourage Remus to continue. “Looking up how to start a fire because of that stupid article. As if you needed to do that to get me to like you.” 

“No?” Sirius asked, a small smile turning up the side of his mouth. 

“No,” he repeated, matching Sirius’ smile. “I was a goner as soon as I heard you humming Hozier shirtless in the locker room,” Remus explained, and then tipped his head to the side in thought, before turning back to Sirius and continuing, “but really, it was before that, Sirius. Once I really looked into your eyes and saw you. You didn’t need to do anything, I just fought against it for a while.” 

“Kayaking upstream,” Sirius joked softly in response.

Remus leaned over to kiss him tenderly and Sirius reciprocated immediately, moving his lips slowly against his, savoring the moment. Sirius felt a hand reach behind his neck and tangle into his hair, pulling him closer, but their pace remained slow and deliberate. It was a different kiss — less frantic, yet no less passionate — more important, meaningful. Deeper. Sirius felt his previous feelings of dread melt away in response to the undeniable connection surging between them.

“Come on, Luke Bryan,” Sirius said as he pulled back and traced Remus’ jawline, which was now shaking with quiet laughter, with his thumb. “Build me a fire.”

“Luke Bryan? Why am I Luke Bryan now?” Remus asked with disbelief as he took Sirius’ outstretched hand to stand up. 

Instead of responding to the question, Sirius chose to start singing Country Man as he jogged his way down the boulders. Remus followed right behind him, making various comments about the inapplicability of the song, which only encouraged Sirius to belt out the chorus— “I’m country man, a city boy can’t do the things I can,” — even louder. 

“You know I’m not a farmer, right? I have never tilled the land in my life?” Remus asked loudly while ducking underneath the branch of a large manzanita tree as they approached the ground, but Sirius continued singing as if he had not heard. “The song is about farmers!” 

“Close enough, though,” Sirius called back and waved a hand dismissively as he walked back to the truck. 

“No, it’s not close at all! What even—“ Remus continued between bouts of laughter. “Well, I’ll concede that your country accent is fairly amusing. Really, I don’t mind it at all. You know, here’s a great idea: ditch that elegant British thing you’ve got going on and go all in with this one.”

“As brilliant as that sounds, Remus, and it truly does, I’m going to pass on that idea for now,” Sirius replied with faux sincerity, making a shrugging gesture with his hands. “I’ve gathered that my voice is your favorite thing about me, and I am not deluded enough to think that you’ll stick around if I lose the accent.” 

“Well, and your hair,” Remus confirmed, his tone matching Sirius’, as they walked up to the truck. Remus lowered the hatch and began pulling out the cast iron fire pit from the bed. “If you cut it, we’re through,” he said in a strained voice as he hauled the heavy device down to the ground.

“Understood. Your love for it makes every struggle with a swim cap I have ever had worth it,” Sirius responded as he grabbed the bin of firewood and newspaper from the bed of the truck and placed it next to the pit.

Remus groaned as he knelt down to place some small twigs and crumpled pieces of newspaper inside the fire pit. “I _hate_ those things. I cannot tell you how happy I am that I never have to wear one again,” Remus admitted, then paused and wheeled around to look at Sirius wide-eyed with a twig still in his hand, and said, “Holy shit! I think I just fully realized that I _never_ have to wear one again!” 

“Or shave your legs,” Sirius added with a meaningful nod.

Remus let his head fall back in rapture for a moment. “Oh, so true,” Remus replied joyfully. They were silent for a minute while Sirius watched Remus light the kindling, then begin to stack the firewood strategically over the small fire that was forming, making sure to arrange it in some sort of pattern that Sirius figured served a purpose. YouTube explained this to him once, but no chance he was going to retain that particular lesson.

When the fire started successfully catching onto the large pieces of wood, Sirius whistled an impressed sound and Remus bowed his head regally.

“Do you think you’ll miss it at all?” Sirius asked as he stood up to grab some blankets from the truck, returning to lay them out near the fire Remus was carefully tending to.

“I honestly don’t know,” Remus responded, still laser-focused focused on arranging the firewood. “Right now, I would say that I absolutely won’t miss it. I did everything I wanted to do in Sydney. Well, I would have preferred to get gold in the individual medley,” Remus looked up and glowered playfully at Sirius, who laughed in response as he returned to the truck to let Bear out of the back, “but really, the whole Olympics went better than I could have hoped, and I’m so satisfied with that. I just don’t have the same passion for it anymore.” Bear ran up to Remus, and he paused to give him a few scratches behind the ear, before Bear collapsed onto the little bed Sirius made him. “That being said, I have no idea how I’m going to feel in the future, so who knows if I’ll end up regretting my decision.”

“You seem at peace with the uncertainty though,” Sirius responded, sitting down next to Bear and eating trail mix while watching Remus finish up the fire.

“It’s all perspective, you know? Swimming is the thing I will be the best at in my whole life, but it isn’t _my life_. And it certainly isn’t the thing that makes me happiest in my life. Even though it’s over and I will never have that type of success and fame again, I’m okay with that,” Remus stood to walk over to Sirius and sat down beside him. He grabbed a handful of trail mix and replied, “I just have to figure out what exactly my next thing looks like. Does that make sense?” 

“It makes a lot of sense,” Sirius said, “I admire you, Remus. I’m not ready to let go of it yet, but hopefully you can pave the way for me so I’m not a total mess four years from now.” 

Remus smiled softly. “I hope I can do that too,” he supplied thoughtfully, “But I think swimming might mean a lot more to you than it does to me.” 

Sirius clicked his tongue. “Ah, you’ve figured me out already,” he said with a nervous laugh, trying not to feel too uncomfortable that the vein of this conversation had switched to him.

“That tends to happen when you spend nearly two weeks with someone and you listen to what they say,” Remus said and elbowed Sirius gently, putting him a little more at ease. He continued in a more serious tone, “Swimming was always complementary to my life — it was something that brought me closer to my dad, and I will always love the sport for that. But it was never the most meaningful thing in my life, that’s always been my family. Of course my parents and my friends always wanted me to do well, but it never truly mattered to them — in the sense of how they felt about me — whether or not I was the best. It didn’t change anything. But that wasn’t the case for you.”

“Yeah, spot on,” Sirius admitted and forced a small smile. He trained his eyes on the fire and continued, “Just thinking about not having another Olympics to work towards, or not achieving at the level I do now, makes me deeply uncomfortable. Even without the pressure of my parents, which is bizarre.”

“I can imagine.” Remus responded, “I think that’s what happens when you don’t grow up with a stable family that shows love in a healthy way. You feel like you don’t have value unless you’re performing at the top.” Remus stopped for a second and looked thoughtfully at Sirius before continuing, “And I know you had the Potters, and that made a huge difference in your life, but there’s no way that they could make up for the effect that your immediate family, and your parents, had on you.”

Sirius raised his eyebrows and his gaze softened as he looked over at Remus, feeling some affection blending in with the discomfort now. “You’ve put some thought into this.” 

“I’m an introvert. I’m observant and I analyze everything,” Remus laughed.

“I think all of this was why I felt so drawn to you in Sydney,” Sirius laughed. “You’re so at peace with yourself, so comfortable with who you are and your place in the world. I saw it in Athens too. I really want to get to that point, where I don’t need the success so much.” Sirius sat thoughtfully for a few moments and when Remus did not respond, he continued talking. “But at the same time, I really do love swimming, and I love competition, Remus. I love everything about it, even the swim caps.”

“I completely understand that,” Remus assured, and Sirius knew that he did. “It really shows, Sirius. You are so motivated to do well out of sheer love for the sport.” Sirius nodded and smiled before Remus continued, “I think you are more innately dedicated to swimming than I ever was — and that’s why you’ll go back to the Olympics in four years and break more records, and probably even four years after that.” Sirius rolled his eyes but smiled at the compliment. 

Remus placed a hand on Sirius’ knee and spoke again, his voice more serious than it had been seconds earlier. “But I also hope you realize that you’re fantastic with or without swimming, with or without external sources telling you you’re worth something. What you’ve accomplished is absolutely incredible — you’re literally the best swimmer in the world — but James, Lily, Regulus, Amanda, and myself,” Remus caught Sirius’ eye before he continued, “will care about you just as much as we do now whether or not you’re winning medals. I think accepting that might be the first step to becoming more of who you want to be.” 

Sirius was quiet for a moment and took a deep breath before responding, “God, Remus, how do you do that?”

“Introvert,” Remus repeated with a soft smile, as his fingers drew light circles on Sirius’ knee, “And you do a lot for me. You make me very happy. It feels good to reciprocate, to help you see what I see.” 

Sirius felt his breath tighten as he gazed at Remus and took in his words, wanting to speak, but worried that it might be too early to communicate that being with him made Sirius the happiest he’d ever been. Instead, he leaned over and kissed him gently, lifting his hand to cup Remus’ jaw, and he hoped that the kiss might convey a fraction of how he was feeling.

Remus immediately deepened the kiss and reached up to caress Sirius’ forearm, and Sirius was sure those gestures were a reciprocation of the feelings he had been trying to share. Remus was too perceptive, understood Sirius too well, for them to mean anything else.

They continued like this, kissing with gentle importance, communicating in ways words fell short. Neither man took it any further, as if the moment were already more intimate than either could imagine, and Sirius pulled away slowly to kiss Remus’ forehead and regroup. Remus moved to rest his head against Sirius’ shoulder, and Sirius could feel that Remus’ breath was coming out a little unevenly against his neck. They stayed there a few moments, then were abruptly brought back into reality by a huge furry head that had snuck between them and was wagging his tail with excited impatience.

“Oh yes, boy, we haven’t forgotten about dinnertime,” Remus said, leaning back up. “And speaking of, dinnertime for us too before it gets pitch black out here,” he said looking over at Sirius, then leaned in for a quick kiss that Sirius knew was a bookmark, a placeholder for later. 

They sat by the fire and ate the food they had packed, while Remus told Sirius various camping stories from his childhood, and they spent the evening laughing together and enjoying the crisp fall air.

As the fire burned down and the temperature started to drop more dramatically, they brushed their teeth and grabbed more blankets from the backseat to unfold onto the air mattress, which they had set up in the truck’s bed. Remus showed an awestruck Sirius how to assemble their tent for the night, which was essentially a protective shell that attached to the truck. Sirius was in disbelief that the minuscule rectangle of material could unfold to become shelter in any meaningful way that would keep bears at bay, which made Remus laugh.

“You are essentially safe from bears as long as they can’t smell food in the tent,” Remus explained as they attached the final corner of the tent to the truck, “so, absolutely no sneaking cashews in here.”

Sirius made a choking sound. “I didn’t agree to this, Remus,” he said evenly as he continued working, “I don’t mind battling a bear, but I need 24/7 access to trail mix, and you know that.” 

After assembling the tent and setting Bear up with a bed in the cab, they unzipped the main cover to expose a thin layer of mesh material, which would allow them to watch the stars before bed. The temperature had really dropped by this point, and Sirius was grateful for Remus’ foresight to pack soft sheets and insulated blankets — the man was always prepared. They crawled beneath the mound of blankets, and Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus, pulling him over so that they were lying face to face. 

“So what do you want your life to look like now that you won’t be training eight hours a day?” Sirius asked. He had been curious about this for a while, but had been slightly apprehensive to broach the topic.

“That’s the big question, isn’t it?” Remus asked, laughing lightly. “I guess I don’t know yet exactly, Sirius. But I love doing a lot of things — hiking, rock-climbing, writing, traveling. I think I’ll be happy just slowing my life down and building on those things for at least a year while I’m figuring something more out.” Remus took a breath and looked at Sirius with a meaningful smile. “And I am excited to put some time and effort into some areas of my life that were neglected while I was constantly training.”

“Is that where I come in?” Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“It is,” Remus confirmed, “I think the timing is perfect for something more now.” His eyes brightened suddenly and he said, “And think of how much easier one training schedule will be to navigate than two. I think you’ll get far more opportunities to stare at me half-naked, which I know is what’s on your mind anyway.”

Sirius barked a laugh. “Do you promise?” Sirius asked.

“I promise,” Remus smiled as he touched a loose strand of hair that had fallen in front of Sirius’ face. “I really don’t want to wait that long to see you again.”

“Remus, I want you in London as soon as possible. I am not going to start training again until January, but even then I would love to have you there. You already know James and Lily, so you would always have things to do if I wasn’t around for a couple hours,” Sirius said, then paused for a moment before continuing, “I think you know I’m dying to have you come to London. So it is up to you, Remus. Whenever you can find the right time.” 

“Yes, I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Remus admitted and Sirius kissed him again, picking up on the taste of peppermint from Remus’ toothpaste. “I was thinking a month from now? Early December?”

“It will be the longest month of my life, but I’m thinking that I will have to get used to that now,” Sirius responded melodramatically as he shifted to lie on his back. He turned his head back to Remus with a wide smile and continued, “But really, that’s perfect. Let’s look at flights before I leave, once we get back to…” Sirius waved one hand around to gesture wildly at their surroundings, “civilization.” 

Remus laughed and reached up to zip the tent up. He shifted to lie on top of Sirius’ chest, his face nuzzling into his neck and reminded him, “Sirius, we are like two miles from my house. And we aren’t exactly roughing it here.” Sirius raised his eyebrows in disbelief, leading Remus to elaborate further. “I used matches to make the fire. We had a cooler full of food to eat. We have a truck. We are sleeping on an _air mattress_ in the bed of that truck with goose-down blankets.”

“Remus, here is a fun fact for you. I’ve never slept outside before,” Sirius declared, waiting eagerly for a reaction.

“Never?!” Remus pushed himself onto his elbows and gaped at Sirius in disbelief. “Wait, actually never? Not even when you were growing up with James? Peter and I were outside every chance we got!” Remus looked to the side and squinted in thought, then conceded, “But I guess the weather is a lot more conducive to it here.” 

“Never,” Sirius repeated sleepily before pulling Remus back down against his chest, his hand moving beneath his t-shirt and rubbing his back softly. “So much rain. James and I preferred to practice pro-wrestling moves in his parents’ basement.” 

“Oh no… no,” Remus lamented, but the amusement in his voice said differently.

“Oh _yes_ ,” Sirius emphasized nostalgically. He closed his eyes, feeling perfectly relaxed in the moment. “We were phenomenal. Such exceptional athletes, they all said. We were going places, they all said.” 

“And look at you both now,” Remus laughed quietly. “The prides of Britain.” 

“Mmmm, exactly,” Sirius mumbled. Remus must have said something in response, but Sirius was pulled into sleep before he could register what it was.

*****

Remus and Sirius returned to the house early the next morning, intent on making the most of their last few hours together. After spending a lavish hour in the shower together, Sirius packed up his suitcase, and they researched flights to London over breakfast. Eventually, they settled on a December 5th flight into Heathrow and agreed to wait until Remus was there to book the return. 

“I can’t believe how sad I am to say goodbye to your dog,” Sirius admitted as he knelt down eye-level with a softly whining Bear. “Bear, it was an absolute pleasure to spend the last two weeks with you. Thank you for protecting me from Remus’ innumerable advances.” Bear licked Sirius’ face in response, and Remus shot Sirius the incredulous look that he had grown to love. “He just can’t keep his hands off of me,” Sirius said to Bear, in a voice that sounded deeply put-off, ignoring Remus.

“Alright, that’s enough. Time for you to go,” Remus declared as he grabbed Sirius’ suitcase and made his way to the door. Sirius laughed and stood up to walk over and face Remus. He placed his hand at the back of his neck, pulling their foreheads together. 

“I’m going to miss you, a lot,” Sirius said firmly, smiling as he noticed that Remus’ eyes were glued to his own. Remus stepped closer in response, his hand moving to the small of Sirius’ back as he brought his lips down to meet Sirius’. 

“One month,” Remus said, more to himself than to Sirius, and got into the driver’s side of the truck. Sirius slid into the passenger’s seat, squeezed Remus’ hand, and they pulled out of the driveway.


	12. Chapter 12

James and Sirius busted through the front door, dripping water onto the wood floor of the entryway.

“Baaaabe! Towels!” James yelled out louder than necessary. “Please!” He added as an afterthought as Lily peeked her head out of the kitchen to survey the two of them.

“Lots of towels,” she said as her eyes widened at the sight of the two men. She disappeared for a minute before walking into the entryway with an armful. “You just had to go running in the rain.”

Sirius blinked twice at her. “Lily,” Sirius started as he grabbed a towel from her her, starting to mop up the water on his arms, “ _anyone_ can go running outside when the weather’s nice. But only a man of passion goes running in bad weather.” He shimmied the towel around his neck and squeezed the ends of his hair dry as he added wrly, “Aren’t you so lucky that you’re married to a man of _passion_?”

“ _Exactly_ ,” James proclaimed with gratitude, as he bent forward to finish blotting his calves, “at least someone appreciates my discipline.”

“I’ve got you,” Sirius responded as he set an affectionate gaze on James. But Lily must have given James some kind of telepathic look, because his eyes suddenly darted down to the sopping hardwood they were standing on, and he dropped into a crouch to soak up the rainwater they had tracked in.

“Yes, well can you ‘men of passion’ please go shower?” Lily asked impatiently. “Sirius, I desperately want to hug you since I haven’t seen you in weeks, but I’m not going to until you’re clean and dry.”

“Siri, step to your left,” a voice called from below them.

“Oh boy! Oh boy! I must clean up!” Sirius sang the phrase repeatedly as he stepped aside for James and started to make his way to the guest bathroom down the hall. James joined in on the impromptu song when he headed to the master bathroom upstairs a moment later. It was like a poorly-harmonized male choir of two until they closed their respective doors.

Sirius spent the next twenty minutes taking a long shower and warming his body up after the run he and James had taken around Hyde Park — a weekly tradition of theirs, no matter the weather. After drying off, he went into the guest room and ruffled through the clothes he kept there.

As Sirius made his way back out to the living area, he heard the unmistakable gurgles of baby Harry, who must have awoken from his nap while he had been showering. He entered the kitchen and saw James sitting at the table, bouncing Harry on his knee with one hand and eating peanut butter off of a spoon with the other, somehow making the two actions appear perfectly normal paired together.

“Wow, you’ve really got this fatherhood thing nailed down,” Sirius observed as he opened up the refrigerator, hoping to find a post-run snack that would be more satisfying than peanut butter on a spoon.

“Most natural thing in the world,” James remarked aloofly, probably a line he had repeated many times.

Sirius hummed and began pulling out ingredients to make a sandwich. The room was quiet, aside from Harry’s occasional whimper and James’ mouth smacking on peanut butter, as Sirius focused on piling the maximum amount of turkey onto the sandwich without making it too thick to bite. Once he’d perfected the creation, Sirius sat next to James and heard footsteps enter the kitchen from behind him.

“James, really?” Lily shrieked, splaying her hands in the direction of the jar, then the spoon, then back. “Do you have to eat it straight out of the jar?!”

“I do babe, it tastes better,” James said as he smiled at Harry, who giggled in response.

Lily opened a drawer before running over to James with a permanent marker and writing a gigantic J on the jar of peanut butter. “I’m opening up another jar for Sirius and me. This one is yours,” Lily said and pointed her finger to the jar on the table, then moved it to James’ face, her eyes serious. “Do not touch the other one.”

“Of course not, my beloved flower,” James replied, and Lily, after a moment of looking at James skeptically, seemed satisfied with his response and turned her attention to Sirius. 

“Sirius, I’ve missed you so much,” Lily said sweetly as Sirius stood up and she pulled him into a hug. “Do you want any coffee? We have your favorite.” 

“Oh Lily, you goddess. I’d love a coffee. Do you need any help?” Sirius asked, but Lily shook her head immediately. 

“No, you sit and eat,” she replied, and Sirius happily obeyed as Lily headed toward the coffee maker. “But you do need to tell me all about your trip. You know I’m dying to hear,” she called from the kitchen.

Sirius smiled and took a bite of his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully while he decided where to start. “His mom loves me,” he began. 

“You met his mom?” Lily exclaimed, and Sirius knew he had started out strong with a good piece of information.

Sirius continued, “She showed up at his house unexpectedly, had no idea that I was going to be there. Her name is Hope. She’s really great, easy to get along with. You would love her, Lily. She’s a marathon runner.” Sirius took another bite of his sandwich before continuing, speaking with his mouth half full, “I charmed her.” 

“Not surprised, mate. I’m proud of you,” James chimed in, not missing a beat. Harry was now pulling mercilessly at his messy hair, but he seemed perfectly focused on the conversation. “Those birds turn to putty once they hear our accents.”

“Remus sure does,” Sirius retorted before he could stop himself. Lily squealed in pleasure at that tidbit of information and James made a dramatic “oooh”-ing sound that reminded Sirius of a gorilla. 

“Harry wants to know more, Sirius!” James cooed as he lifted a giggling Harry up and down. “Tell us what else turns Remus into putty!” 

“How about you tell us more family-friendly news about Tahoe instead?” Lily quickly cut in as she placed a cup of coffee in front of Sirius and then a cup in front of James and bent down to give her husband a kiss on the cheek. Sirius looked to her with gratitude as she headed back to collect a cup of tea for herself. He waited for her to sit down before he responded. 

“It’s really beautiful there, and the weather was perfect, so we were outside doing something every day. Remus knows the region like the back of his hand, so it was like I had this sexy built-in tour guide,” Sirius said, pausing to take a drink of coffee.

“He is very sexy,” Lily acknowledged and James nodded emphatically in agreement. 

“We spent a day out on the lake too, and a ton of time cooking and talking. And he has this massive German Shepherd named Bear who also fell in love with me. And you know what? I fell in love with him too,” Sirius said wistfully. 

“So when do I get to meet him?” Lily asked, smiling into her coffee mug as she took another drink.

“What, FaceTime wasn’t enough?” Sirius asked, eliciting an eye roll from Lily, and he finished off the last bite of his sandwich before providing her with a real answer. “He’s coming to London next month. The 5th. Well actually, he leaves on the 5th, arrives here on the 6th.” 

“Wow! His flight is booked and everything?” Lily asked hungrily with wide eyes.

“Yep,” he confirmed, “now I’ll have to wow him with some illustrious British culture.”

“Easy, mate. Just bring him here,” James suggested as he held Harry up to sniff at his diaper, and a smile formed on his face which Sirius took to mean that it was still clean. 

“Of course,” Sirius responded sincerely, “you’re the pinnacle of sophistication.” James shot Sirius an offended look and Sirius grinned at him. “But really, of course I am going to bring him around here — you guys are my family, what else would I do?”

“Just tell us a date and we’ll arrange dinner, and bring Nym too, I miss that angel,” Lily responded. “I’ll probably cook here if that’s alright? Taking Harry out to dinner has been a nightmare. We tried it once and I have no desire to relive that.”

Sirius nodded. “Ah yes, James texted me about the great crying fiasco at Pizza Express,” Sirius mused, happy that he had not been there. “He even sent a video. That kid has got a set of pipes on him.”

“Yeah, a future tuba player here for sure,” James said joylessly. “We aren’t taking him out again until he’s twelve.”

“Good call,” Sirius acknowledged before changing the subject. “But back to Remus, I don’t have too much planned right now. I think I’ll take him to the theater, maybe a museum if he’s interested, Hyde Park, of course. We haven’t gone out on an actual _date_ before, so I want to take him to at least one nice restaurant and drinks afterwards.” 

Lily raised her eyebrows in interest when Sirius finished. “You’re not worried about being seen? Because if you go out in London, you need to assume that you will be.”

Sirius shrugged. “I hate that my personal life is going to be plastered on websites and magazines for the world to see, but that’s just reality. I need to warn Remus that it will happen here. Hopefully it isn’t deal-breaker or anything, but I’m not interested in trying to hide from it. Too exhausting.”

“It’ll be huge news,” James warned. “You’re both on fire right now. I swear I see at least one of your faces somewhere every time I’m out.” 

“It’ll be okay, Siri,” Lily said comfortingly as she stroked his hair. “Just get ahead of it. Plan out the first time you guys go out together and be prepared to face it head on. I’m sure Remus will be okay with it — he seems like such a transparent guy from what I know about him.” 

“The thing is, he’s really private though. I think it’s going to be rough for him,” Sirius said, wrinkling his nose a bit at the thought of the publicity that was sure to come, but more so at Remus’ aversion to having his personal life out there for the world to see. “I don’t know much about his last relationship, but I do know that the guy wasn’t famous or in the spotlight in anyway. Just a normal bloke in Tahoe, so they didn’t get hounded with publicity.”

Lily nodded and lolled her head to the side, mirroring Sirius’ expression. She was quiet for a beat before continuing with a new thought. “Are you two exclusive?”

Sirius raised his head off the table slightly to look at Lily. “Uh, we haven’t talked about it explicitly, but I’ve made it clear I’m not interested in anything else,” he said, “and I don’t get the sense that he’s a casual dater.” 

“Then don’t worry about it, Sirius. I can guarantee that he has already thought about it before. It’s no secret that the media loves you both,” she replied. 

“You’re probably right,” Sirius said, sitting back up now, “He’s perceptive. We’ll just have to stay off of the internet for a while.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back,” James said brightly, a bit of satire coloring his voice as he continued, “I’ll stay up all night to berate every single person who leaves a negative comment about you.” 

Sirius laughed earnestly, “That will show them, Potter.” 

Sirius felt his phone buzz and pulled it out of his pocket. He smiled as he saw an incoming text from Remus. It was almost 3pm in London, usually when Remus was waking up and getting ready to take Bear out on a morning walk. He opened the text message and beamed as he saw a picture of Remus laying in bed with his hair an absolute mess. One bleary eye was looking at the camera while the other was closed, that side of his face scrunched as Bear’s massive tongue licked it, his paws firmly planted on the bed. The timing of the picture was perfect.

A message came in seconds later. “ **I used to have such a well behaved dog. Now I have dirty sheets instead.** ” Sirius laughed, recalling how strict Remus tried to be with Bear getting on furniture. It was something that Sirius had a hard time with, unable to say no when he looked into the dog’s pleading eyes, wanting to give him every happiness in the world. Apparently, indulging the dog had left some after-effects. 

“ **He definitely learned that from me since that’s the first thing I like to do in the morning too,”** Sirius wrote back, smile still plastered on his face as he watched the dots indicating that Remus was typing a response.

“Yoink!” James yelped happily as Sirius felt his phone being pulled from his grasp. Sirius had a knee-jerk reaction to try and grab it back, but knew it would be futile against James — the man had unparalleled hand-eye coordination and reflex speed. Sirius had lost this game many times before, usually with food though.

“Don’t do it,” Sirius said weakly, knowing when he had been defeated. But James did not immediately start scrolling as he usually did; instead, he suddenly straightened up with a look of apprehension on his face.

“Am I going to see a picture of your penis on here?” He asked so directly that Sirius was slightly taken aback. His eyes narrowed while he waited for Sirius to respond.

“Why do you assume it would be me who would send the dick pic?” Sirius asked incredulously, and Lily immediately barked a laugh that suggested this was incredibly obvious.

“ _Of course_ it would be you, Sirius,” Lily giggled, she and James becoming an obnoxious tag team.

“Right,” James added on excitedly, “Sorry buddy, but between Britain’s ‘bad boy’ and America’s ‘golden boy’, I’m gonna bet on you.” Sirius’ jaw dropped in response but he held himself back from making any comments about Remus that would prove their assumptions wrong. Instead, he sighed and did the one thing that would get his phone back.

“If you scroll through that conversation, you’re going to see a picture of my dick,” Sirius lied and James immediately dropped the phone as if it had burned him, making some sort of cry that sounded like “goo!”. Sirius rolled his eyes and snatched his phone back, sliding it in one of his pockets for safe keeping.

“Anyway,” James said dramatically, drawing out the word, as if he hadn’t been the one to initiate the previous topic of conversation, “did you see Peter while you were in Tahoe?”

“I did not,” Sirius responded, a little more joyfully than intended. 

“Oh that’s too bad,” Lily chimed in, not noticing, “James has not stopped talking about Peter. I was looking forward to hearing more about him.”

“Yeah, I need to get his phone number,” James decided, dropping his hand against the table in emphasis. “I just have this feeling that if you and Remus really give this a shot, the four of us will have a legendary friendship.”

“Three Olympians and a dentist,” Sirius said and nodded, as if that made any sense at all.

“Think of the trouble they’d get into!” James added merrily, and it reminded Sirius of the tagline for a truly terrible movie that he wasn’t interested in bringing to life. He felt the sudden urge to get out of there as quickly as possible.

“Right, well it’s been wonderful as usual, loves,” Sirius said as he stood up and took his plate to the dishwasher, “but it’s about time that I head out. I’m meeting with my swim coach in a couple hours to discuss my new training schedule.” James made a sound that resembled one of Harry’s cries and Sirius had to do a double-take to confirm who it had come from.

“Ouch. How many more weeks of freedom do you have?” Lily asked, walking over to pull Sirius in for a big hug as he re-appeared near the table.

“I have until January before we are going to really get back into it,” Sirius said, adopting a strained voice since it was hard to breathe with Lily’s vice-like arms squeezing tight around his waist. “So you’ll see a lot of me until then. And then in January, you’ll see a lot of me, only just a little less,” Sirius added, and after releasing Lily, he gave both James and Harry farewell kisses on their heads before he made his way out the front door.

He arrived back at his own townhome a short while later, deciding to put on something mindless from Netflix with the downtime he had before meeting with his coach. It was early, still before noon, so Remus wouldn’t be up for another couple of hours to talk anyway. 

As Sirius let one of his favorite sitcoms run in the background, playing a mindless game on his phont until he saw a notification pop up that Regulus had texted him. 

“ **Heads up.”** Regulus’ text read followed shortly after by a link.

Sirius clicked the linked lazily, figuring that Reg had send him another financial article that he should probably try to be interested in, but sat up straight on the couch when he saw what it really was.

“Oh fuck,” Sirius whispered as he scrolled through photo after photo of Remus and himself in Lake Tahoe together. A photo of them pulling the kayaks out of the river. A photo of them loading them into the back of Remus’ truck. A photo Remus aggressively kissing Sirius against the truck. 

He started googling his name and found that every recent news article containing the name ‘Sirius Black’ was related to these photos. Same with ‘Remus Lupin’. Someone must have seen Sirius in Tahoe and sold the  photos and the information to some media outlet. Again. 

Fuck fuck fuck. Poor Remus. They hadn’t even had a chance to talk about this happening yet. It had always been a risk, of course, but they had been so careful. Sirius was for sure they had gotten away with it. He took a deep breath and sent two texts, the first to Remus asking him to call as soon as he woke up, and the second to James. 

“ **I’m lighting the beacon. Gondor is calling for aid.** ”

*****

Remus woke up at his usual time of 7:30am thanks to Bear’s quiet whining in his ears. He took a moment for a full body stretch before reaching over to his nightstand to grab his phone. He smiled to see a text from Sirius and opened it up immediately.

“ **Hey Rem, call me as soon as you wake up? It’s important.”**

Remus rubbed his eyes for a moment before sitting up and getting out of the bed. Sirius could wait three minutes for Remus to brush his teeth and wash his face before giving him a call. As soon as he was done, he made his way downstairs to start the coffee and then pull Sirius’ contact information up. Sirius picked up on the first ring.

“Hi!” Sirius answered, sounding relieved, “Thanks for calling so early.”

“Of course,” Remus said, “Is everything okay?”

“Um, yeah I mean, no, not really,” Sirius stammered uncharacteristically, “No one is hurt or anything, but I need to tell you something.”

“Okay…” Remus responded slowly, started to feel worried for the first time during a conversation with Sirius. He leaned against the counter and trained his eyes on the coffee pot as the coffee began to brew.

He heard Sirius take a deep breath. “There are pictures of us online,” he started, voice even and measured, “From Tahoe. And they aren’t ambiguous, it’s obvious we are together.” 

“Oh shit,” Remus groaned as he reached reflexively for the back of his neck, feeling his stomach churn at the invasion. He groaned one more time before asking, “How many? Where?”

“Just from when we were putting the kayaks away,” Sirius started, then continued faster after a beat, “And making out against your truck.” Remus groaned a third time as he continued on, “There are about ten photos and they are online everywhere right now.” Sirius paused as if he knew that he would need time to process the information. Remus took a moment to try to identify why exactly he had such a visceral response to this. 

He had never thought about denying that he had a relationship with Sirius, that was a given. It simply wasn’t in his nature. So people knowing about it shouldn’t bother him on some level. But on another level, it deeply bothered him. He had been enjoying the ease of being with Sirius with no outside pressures, no unsolicited opinions or critiques. Having their own private bubble to really connect had been the greatest gift. And Remus thought that it would be their decision when they would be ready to let the public know that they were together — a public that he knew had been so vicious to Sirius in the past. 

But now that choice had been taken from them, and whether they were ready for it or not, millions of people were now going to have a platform to share their copious opinions about them. Remus’ actual nightmare. 

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Sirius broke the silence, pulling Remus out of his thoughts.

“Are you okay?” Remus asked quickly, knowing that getting wrapped up in his own head sometimes left him blind to what other people were experiencing.

Sirius answered, “I’m worried about you mostly, Remus. I’m worried that this could scare you away. I don’t think it will but we haven’t really talked about thi--”

“I’m not scared away, of course I’m not,” Remus interrupted quickly. “I hate that we didn’t get to control it, though, like we wanted to.”

“I know,” Sirius said.

“But I shouldn’t be too upset,” Remus began to reason with himself, “This really was inevitable. It just caught me by surprise.” 

“Me too. And you can still be upset about it, it fucking sucks. The media ruins relationships all the time,” Sirius supplied.

“You seem to calm about it,” Remus added as his attention was turned back to the pot of coffee that he so desperately needed right now. He grabbed a mug and began to pour. “And you’re the one whose life has been impacted by this kind of thing before.” 

“I talked to James,” Sirius said, “He didn’t let me spiral.” 

“That’s good,” Remus said with a smile peeking through, “So what did he say?”

“He said that if our relationship is solid then it won’t matter. It’s different than last time, you know? We wanted to keep it private for a little while longer but we weren’t trying to hide it,” Sirius said, then continued on in a suspiciously lighter tone, “We just probably want to stay off the internet for a while.”

Remus’ eyes darted up at that. ““Is it bad?” he asked.

“Um, there are some nasty articles, yes,” Sirius said, still a making slightly too exaggerated of an effort to sound unbothered, “But the majority of them are just obnoxiously excited.”

Remus snorted as he imagined what the over-the-top celebrity articles usually came up with. He and Sirius were two former swimming rivals who out of the blue become lovers — the gossip magazines probably felt like Christmas had come early. 

“What are the bad ones saying?” He asked, bracing himself with his first, and much appreciated, sip of coffee. 

“In a nutshell?” Sirius asked with an apprehensive laugh, “You gave up your swimming career because of our relationship.”

“No, no, you’re kidding,” Remus stammered, “Okay, now this is hilarious. We weren’t even together!”

“Here’s my favorite headline,” Sirius started sounding a little more eager now and his voice shifting to an overly dramatic tone, “‘ _Retire or we’re over!_ Remus Lupin gives up swimming career after harsh ultimatum by lover and fame-whore Sirius Black.’”

“Oh come on.”

Sirius continued on, apparently reading from the article now, “‘Remus Lupin was seen pressed up against Sirius Black in hot new photos less than a month after announcing his retirement! Could this be Sirius Black’s elaborate plan to get that spotlight back on himself? Perhaps this is the real reason that Lupin, who came back from Sydney with his most impressive performance ever, decided to quit swimming for good.’” Sirius paused a moment an chuckled dryly, “And here’s my favorite part: ‘Hopefully Lupin won’t be left heartbroken and regretful when Sirius leaves him high and dry after competitions start up—”

“Okay, okay. I get it.”

“The good news is,” Sirius explained, “everybody still loves you. The bad news is, I’m an evil seductress and ‘fame whore’.”

Remus released a sound that was part laugh, part groan. “That’s so annoying, I’m sorry, Sirius.” 

“It’s fine. It’s not half as bad as last time — James and I actually found the term ‘fame-whore’ to be particularly funny. And it’s just another opportunity to prove them wrong,” Sirius said, sounding genuinely unbothered this time.

“I suppose it is,” Remus hummed thoughtfully. But he was done reflecting on the issue for now, he needed time for it to sink in and to really process the news, so he decided to change the subject. “Well, what have you been up to today besides this whole mess?”

Sirius replied, “Well before Reg texted me with the first article, I was at the Potters. It was a brilliant morning, actually. James and I went for a run in the rain, and I won by the way.”

“Was it a competition?” Remus asked, always amused by Sirius’ undying enthusiasm.

“Remus, it’s _always_ a competition, and I won,” Sirius repeated and Remus made a sound he hoped would communicate that he was extremely impressed. It must have appeased Sirius, because he moved on. “We all caught up over coffee once James and I got back. Lily is dying to meet you, by the way. She actually squeals whenever you come up in conversation.” 

“That’s so sweet,” Remus said, and he meant it. He did not take for granted how welcoming Sirius’ friends were. “Tell her that I can’t wait to meet her and Harry. What have they been up to?”

“I’ll tell her. She is actually giving a talk at a psychology conference next week, so she’s been preparing for that. And then James tried to steal my phone, but I convinced him he was going to see lascivious images of dicks and such if he read our text conversation. The usual.”

Remus laughed in surprise as he walked to the sink. “He doesn’t need to know that we save that kind of stuff for FaceTime.”

“My favorite thing in the world,” Sirius sighed, and Remus was disappointed when he reverted back to the previous topic. “So, Remus. You’re okay with all this?”

“Yes Sirius,” he responded a little shortly.

“I’m sure it will pass soon, something more interesting is bound to happen within a couple of weeks,” Sirius offered. When Remus didn’t respond, he continued, “I hope this doesn’t freak you out, and I know you’re not quite as used to having your personal life invaded as I am.”

Remus sighed. “Sirius, I have been fully aware of who you are from the beginning,” Remus replied. “And maybe it’s a good thing that it happened now. I would much rather deal with a couple weeks of annoying publicity than spend our time together sneaking around. I don’t think that would be healthy for either of us and I really would like to give this the best shot we can.”

Sirius breathed deeply though the phone, and Remus imagined it was from relief. “You’re amazing, honestly.” 

They spoke for another couple of minutes until Bear started getting antsy for his walk and Remus had to hang up the phone. He let out a long sigh that he had been holding the entire conversation. Their relationship had been easy when it had been just the two of them completely tucked away from the publicity. But now that the world was in on it too, Remus started to wonder how much of that would stay the same and how much would change between them. 

And how was it going to affect his everyday life in Tahoe? Remus had chosen to live there not only because his family was local, but because of its solitude and peacefulness. Hopefully Sirius was right, and the gossip would blow over in a couple of weeks and then things would settle down. However, if it did last longer than that, Remus wasn’t quite sure how he was going to be able to cope. But nevertheless, Sirius was worth it, wasn’t he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished posting my other wolfstar fic, so now all my efforts will go into getting the rest of this one edited and posted. Thanks for following along, I so appreciate all of the comments and everything :)!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course he’s worth it, what kind of fic do you think this is??

Two weeks passed quickly as Sirius’s schedule was filled with work that took him all around Europe. He had never been as popular as he had become after his success in Sydney, so he was taking advantage of every possible advertising opportunity he could, especially before his training was set to begin again.

Other than traveling for photo shoots and holing up at the gym, he had been lying pretty low after the news had been broken. It wasn’t that difficult considering his schedule was packed with activity, and he mostly just spent his free time at the Potters’ or on the phone with Remus. The time was flying by, surprisingly — much quicker than he thought it would when Remus had dropped him off at the airport — and there were only two more weeks until Remus would be in London with him. 

Sirius sank down into his bed, exhausted after arriving back from Italy that afternoon, and pulled out his phone to decompress. He opened his browser to find that he and Remus were still all over the internet, most likely because the two of them had decided to be quiet about it for now, which only fueled new theories about them. There was a lot of speculation about the relationship; however, although it had initially been cheap, negative gossip, there were more neutral — and even positive — articles popping up too.

Blogs about Sirius being some sort of seduction mastermind with the purpose of world swimming domination were still afloat, but so were blogs and reddit threads about their romance being the greatest love story of all time. Although Sirius liked to think he no longer cared about what the general public thought of him, he had to admit that he felt a burst of affection for these authors.

He scrolled down and snorted when he found an article entitled ‘It’s Difficult to Decide Which Swimmer is Hotter, But One Thing We Can All Agree On Is That They Are Hotter Together!’ What a cheesy load of bullshit. And Sirius loved it.

He was drawn out of his reading, though, by an incoming call from Regulus and answered it immediately.

“Hey Reg,” Sirius chimed.

“Sirius,” Regulus started in his normal non-nonsense tone, “Mother’s upset.”

The line was silent for a beat. “Uh, okay?” Sirius questioned, raising an eyebrow as he wondered why her emotional state was becoming his problem, “Did Narcissa buy the same Gucci purse or something? Or did she spill a drop of wine on the Persian rug?”

“I’m serious,” Regulus said.

“Alright,” Sirius sighed, bracing himself for whatever information Regulus was about to give him, “what’s wrong?”

“She’s upset about seeing you in the news again.”

“What?” Sirius sputtered, “Why does she even care?”

“I don’t know, I just heard her ranting about it on the phone to Narcissa when I stopped by the house today. I could hear her through the phone, telling Mother something about you insisting on showing off your lifestyle choices just to shove it in our faces. Mom seemed to agree and said some shit about ‘Why can’t he just put his energy into swimming instead of dragging our name into another _fiasco_. Doesn’t he ever think about anybody else in this family?’”

Sirius wrapped a hand around his face, kneading his temples as he thought about his mother’s comments. He hated that he was once again in the position of even having to think about his family’s opinions— guess they weren’t past this afterall. “Why are you even telling me this?” Sirius reproached, “You know I don’t want to hear about it. Why does it matter?”

“I wanted to warn you, Sirius,” Regulus replied, “She’s going to drop by your place at some point.”

“Oh, fuck that.”

“You don’t have to let her in,” Regulus observed.

“And then what? Hide from her until she approaches me in public?” Sirius said, barely reining in his anger. “She’ll get what she wants eventually and I’d rather it be somewhere private.”

“Yes, that’s true.” Regulus confirmed. The line was silent for a while before Regulus asked, “So what are you going to do?”

“I’m just so sick of it, Reg,” Sirius answered, a response to a question he wasn’t asked, “I thought we were fine. I thought that she had accepted that I was gay — the fact that I have a relationships with other men that could be made public at some point because I happen to be recognizable is not new information.” The line was silent again as Sirius rubbed his temples again, and Regulus stayed quiet. “But maybe we’ve only been cordial for the last couple of years because I’ve been flying under the radar and not really dating. Maybe this was just wishful thinking,” Sirius finished quietly.

“Maybe,” Regulus replied simply, always a good sounding board for Sirius to sort out his thoughts. 

“It’s ridiculous, she should be overjoyed,” Sirius insisted, “Remus is the best person I could possibly date and be associated with — he’s successful and he’s kind and he’s interesting. _Everybody_ else loves him. Oh, and he makes me happy, which is what any other mother wants for her son.”

“Sirius, you can’t care about her opinion anymore; she thrives off of it and she’ll use it against you. Plus, you’ll never be happy if you keep caring anyway,” Regulus declared. “Do you think I would be marrying Amanda if I actually cared about what she thought?”

“Good point,” Sirius laughed softly, feeling mildly better about the shitstorm that was coming for him. Having one person in his immediate family on his side was not something he was ever going to take for granted. “Fuck Reg, I don’t know what I could have done differently.”

“Nothing,” Regulus answered as if it wasn’t even a question, “There’s nothing you could or should have done differently, and you don’t owe her anything. You’re as successful as you are because of your own effort. It was never Mother or Father. It was probably in spite of them.” The phone was silent for a second, as if Regulus knew that Sirius needed to let that sink it. It wasn’t anything that Sirius didn’t know objectively, but sometimes hearing such an important affirmation from somebody else means more than just thinking it to oneself, “I just wanted to let you know it was coming. I don’t want you to be caught off guard.”

“Thanks Reg,” Sirius said softly, knowing that Regulus would understand that he was grateful for the entire conversation, not just the warning. He was always astutely aware like that.

“You’ll be fine,” Regulus responded, his tone even and emotionless as it always was, “I love you.”

“I love you too little brother,” Sirius laughed softly.

*****

Remus sat down at his mother’s kitchen table while she placed a heaping plate of avocado toast, hash browns, and chicken sausage in front of him. He sighed with equal parts gratitude and anticipation as she took a seat across from him, with a much smaller plate of food for herself.

“Did you know you’re a real-life angel?” Remus said to her sweetly as he began to eat. 

“I know I’ve said this since you were a tyke, but the amount of breakfast food you eat is truly astonishing,” Hope laughed and took a long drink of coffee as she eyed her son. “Maybe introducing your young pallet to french toast is the real secret to your success. Forget the years of practices with Dad.” 

“Oh, definitely, it’s not even a question,” Remus managed to mutter between alternating bites of sausage and toast

Hope’s eyebrows lifted as she remembered a topic she’d been meaning to bring up. “When are you leaving for London again?” she asked, tapping her fingers against the warm mug.

“Two weeks from yesterday,” Remus said after swallowing a huge bite, doing the math in his head. “I leave in the early evening, about 5pm and then land around 3pm London time. So that will be 7am your time. I’ll email you my itinerary with the specific dates and times so you can track me, obviously.” 

“That would be great, honey. Are you excited?”

“I am. I can’t wait. It’s been way, way, way… way too long,” Remus said immediately, and his voice sounded dense with frustration.

Hope hummed. “I can imagine. I’m sure it’s torture to be with a man who is that gorgeous and charming and not be able to do anything about it.” 

“Well yes, there is that,” Remus confirmed quickly, hoping that the blush he felt growing on his face wasn’t too obvious. He was not interested in discussing that particular topic with his mom, no matter how close they were. “But I guess I’ve been feeling a little disconnected from him lately, actually. It’s probably nothing that won’t be solved by being in the same place as him again, but it’s hard to break through and get closer to someone without in-person interaction. Being there for little moments.”

“Mmm, I get that. But you do talk quite a bit, right? I’m sure that the hours of conversation have brought you closer and helped you get to know each other better,” she commented.

“Not as much as I thought it would have,” Remus admitted. He took a moment to think about how to further explain what he meant. “We do talk a lot, but our conversations are mostly about what we did that day, or just joking around,” he explained after a beat, “Which is really enjoyable. I love that it’s so easy for us to just talk. There’s no awkward silence. But we don’t get into anything substantial, you know?” 

Hope hummed again in understanding. “But you say it’s better in person?”

Remus nodded for a moment before responding, “Yes, we are far more open in person, actually. He’s talked a lot to me about his family and why he wasn’t exactly courteous to me when we met. I’ve learned the most about him during the short time we were together in Sydney and Tahoe than in all of our phone conversations since, and I’m sure the same holds for me if you were to ask him the same question.” Remus lolled his head to the side and gazed out the window in thought for a moment, before directing his attention back to his mom who was delicately sipping her coffee and watching him. 

“It’s not that that’s a huge problem or anything unusual, though, is the thing,“ he added after a beat, furrowing his brow slightly as he voiced the thoughts that had been bouncing around in his head for a while, “Long distance relationships are hard for this very reason. It’s just difficult to really stay connected and be a deep part of each other’s lives when you’re awake opposite hours and an ocean away. But I think it’s just a little tougher in our situation since we didn’t know each other all that well to begin with outside of swimming; just knew how good it felt to be around each other, and that was enough.”

“Well honey, I think how you are feeling is totally reasonable. Also,” Hope began, tilting her head toward Remus, “I don’t believe that there is only one person for everyone, and that when you find your ‘soulmate’ out in the world, suddenly everything is easy and you’re on the same page for the rest of your lives. Being in a relationship is a choice, an incredibly rewarding and also incredibly tough choice if you’re doing it right, whether or not you live in the same city.”

She continued, “Relationships absolutely can only survive and flourish if you both communicate and are willing to put the work in. I think that you both are doing a great job at that from what I can tell, but don’t shy away from telling him how you’re feeling; it’s clearly important to you that you feel connected to your partner, and in order to do that, you need to see each other more often or learn how to break through that barrier on the phone, or some combination of both.” Hope paused while Remus finished processing her message, running his index finger along his lip in thought.

Remus huffed a laugh a few moments later. “It’s so obvious when you put it like that,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “Remind me why I don’t talk through all of my daily life concerns with you?”

Hope laughed and replied, “You’re independent and smart, you don’t need my help very often! But I could write a book on relationships, I was in the perfect one for 30 years. So to the extent that you’re comfortable getting advice from your mom about these kinds of things, I am always around.” Remus reached across the table to squeeze his mom’s hand, which she returned with a smile and a small squeeze of her own. 

“So,” she asked, voice becoming curious again as she continued the topic they had started down on, “he isn’t afraid to open up to you when you’re in person, then.”

“No, not at all,” Remus said, releasing his mom’s hand to pick up the last bite of avocado toast on his plate and lift it to his mouth. “I think he has put a lot of effort into understanding himself and figuring out how to have healthy relationships,” he said while chewing behind his hand, voice slightly muffled. He swallowed, dusting his fingers off, and continued, “I just don’t think he’s really used to it — talking about his past and in general sharing anything deep about himself — yet, which makes me appreciate him opening up to me at all even more. Especially so early on. I’m hesitant to push him too much.” 

“Right,” Hope agreed, “As an observer, it sounds like the distance is the only problem based on what you’ve said. I wouldn’t get too much in your head about it, Remus. Just talk to him, don’t over-analyze it.” 

Remus huffed out a laugh. “You have no idea how hard that is for me, but you’re right.”

Hope smiled at him and straightened up in her chair a moment later. “I did find something at the hair salon the other day that you might like — practically had to pry it from another woman’s hands.” Hope shot him a sly smile as she grabbed her purse hanging on the chair she was sitting in and started digging through it. She pulled out a flimsy sheet of paper and handed it over to Remus before adding, “I happily informed them that he’s even more gorgeous in person, but that he’s my son’s so they had better move along.”

“Oh my god, Mom,” Remus chuckled before he dropped his eyes down at the magazine page that his mom had handed him. “ _Oh my god,”_ he repeated but in a different tone this time, as if his mother were no longer in the same room anymore. 

Remus was silent as he stared at the full-page Givenchy ad. The image was black-and-white and moody, as cologne ads often are. Sirius was facing the camera in a wide-legged stance wearing only a pair of tight, low-slung black jeans and an unzipped, silver-studded black leather jacket, both of which contrasted strikingly against his fair skin. The jacket’s sleeves were rolled up just past his forearms, revealing black rope bracelets on his left wrist and a large silver ring on his right thumb, which was looped around his belt loop, and pulling the waistband of the jeans below his hip bone. Sirius’ hair was pulled back into a loose bun, his head tipped back to expose the taught lines of his neck, and his hypnotic gray eyes were trained at the camera.

“Um, yeah. Just excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor, okay?” Remus said flatly, slowly scanning the image. Hope giggled at his flustered state.

“Why did you do this to me!” Remus asked incredulously before a slightly hysterical laugh, “I have to go a month without seeing him and now you’re throwing _this at me?!_ ” 

“Oops,” Hope chimed happily, her tone not matching her words.

“Apparently I need to go live under a rock to avoid the tabloids _and_ sexy ads of my long distance boyfriend,” Remus said, dropping the page onto the table dramatically as if he’d had enough of it all. 

“Speaking of, how are you handling the world knowing about you two?” Hope asked nonchalantly, as if she knew that Remus might not be up to this topic of conversation, while she got up to start brewing a pot of coffee.

“It’s been fine,” Remus answered easily. And it was true, it had been fine. Once he got over the initial discomfort of having his privacy taken from him without his permission, it really hadn’t been all that bad. Particularly in comparison to how great it was to be with Sirius. “It has been far easier to avoid than that godforsaken People article, Mom,” Remus chided.

Hope yelped out a high pitched laugh, clearly pleased and a little surprised to hear Remus’ answer on the issue, “I’m relieved! So not much has changed because of it?”

“No, not really,” Remus answered, standing up to take the plates to the sink, “Obviously there’s a ton of stuff online, and Sirius can’t get enough of it,” Remus laughed before continuing “He loves to summarize the articles to me, and really, his amusement about it all makes everything seem more manageable.”

“Ah, a perfect balance,” Hope observed without surprise as she grabbed her favorite mug out of the cupboard. She motioned at one for Remus, and after he nodded, she grabbed it and began to fill the mugs with coffee. 

“And things around here haven’t really changed either, which is what I think I was most worried about, you know?” Remus offered, “I mean I had to give Caradoc a call and apologize for not telling him in person — he didn’t care, of course — but I felt weird that he heard it from the internet before me.”

“Was he happy for you?” Hope asked, walking over with the mugs.

“Of course he was, always the perfect friend,” Remus replied, taking a mug from her, “Poppy called and needed to understand the situation, just so that she had a grasp on what was going on if asked about it by reps who want to work with me in the future. But according to her, it’s just going to make me more ‘relevant’ so maybe that’s the real silver lining of it all.”

Hope hummed as she took a sip of coffee. A beat later she asked, “What’s going to happen in London then?  You’re not going to stay holed up the whole time, right? Not with the cat already being out of the bag and all that. You two need to enjoy yourselves.”

“No no, we definitely aren’t going to hide out again,” Remus said with a small shake of his head. “It’ll be weird at first, but we are going to take it into our own hands. We are planning to go out somewhere with a lot of people so that we can be photographed or whatever on our terms. Make it obvious.”

“And then eventually it won’t be such a big deal,” Hope supplied with a nod.

“Exactly,” Remus said and lifted the mug to his lips. “Yeah, I’m ready for it,” Remus assured his mother quickly. He shrugged lightly and was met with a look of skepticism from across the kitchen table. He laughed in response before continuing on, “I know, I know, easier said than done. I know I’m going to get that overwhelming feeling when I see a bunch of idiots taking our pictures and thinking they are being sneaky, like I always do at first. And I am going to hate the attention, but after I process it, I will realize that I can live with it for a while. Plus, I can’t say that it will bother me _that_ much to be photographed next to the most attractive guy on earth, so when I think of it like that, it doesn’t make it seem so bad.” 

“Right, I can’t feel too bad for you about that one,” Hope chuckled in agreement, carefully surveying her infamously private son. “But if you need anything, please let me know, even if you just want someone to talk to about it. I’ll miss you desperately while you’re away, of course, but I’m really happy for you, Remus.” 

“Thanks, mom, I’ll miss you too. And you don’t mind watching Bear until I come back?”

“Of course not, you know I love that dog like a second son,” Hope quipped, waving her hand through the air as if that was the stupidest question she’d ever heard. 

“You’re wonderful, you know that,” Remus responded, feeling a rush of gratitude for her presence in his life, especially in the context of the conversation they just had about Sirius, before taking in a deeper breath. “Alright, ready for that trail run now?” 

*****

Sirius was walking back from the gym when he spotted one of his mother’s cars idling in front of his townhouse and stopped in his tracks. Fuck, this was really happening. It was happening right now. He took a deep breath when he saw her black heels step out of the backseat of the large black SUV. He turned to continue walking toward the front door, eventually meeting her halfway.

“Sirius,” she greeted him stoically — no hug, no smile — nothing out of the ordinary. She had always been sinewy and inaccessible, had always carried in herself in a way that screamed ‘definitely not a nurturer’. Not exactly what a child hoped for in a parent, and as she straightened the collar of her stern black blouse, Sirius found himself wondering again for the hundredth time why she had ever wanted kids at all. 

“It’s nice to see you, Mother,” Sirius replied with a tight smile, as if his words came from a script. 

He walked up to the door and unlocked it, gesturing for her to step inside before he followed closely behind her. She took her time looking around his apartment, probably surprised by how orderly it was given how unkempt his room was when he was a child. Plus, she had only been in his townhome once since he moved in, so a lot of it was probably still new to her.

“Would you like some tea?” Sirius asked, voice coming out a little irritable, unsure of what else to say to get whatever conversation she wanted to have started.

“No,” she answered curtly, “I’ll be quick.”

“Fantastic,” Sirius sighed as he walked into the living room to sit down, assuming that she would follow. She did, but remained standing in front of him, always looking for some position of power to take. He looked up at her expectantly, making sure to hold eye contact until she began speaking.

“You’ve been spread _all over_ the news again,” she said slowly, nostrils flaring at the sides as though she was barely keeping her dissatisfaction at bay, “I thought you would know better than this by now. Know how to be discreet at the very least.”

“Be discreet about having an adult relationship, Mother?” Sirius clarified pleasantly, “I don’t see what the problem is. Please elaborate.”

“Don’t play coy, Sirius, you know exactly why it’s an embarrassment to the family,” Walburga disputed immediately, “And this is the _second time_ we have had to weather this. Have you ever thought about that?” 

“I can’t say that I have,” Sirius said, watching her expression carefully, almost in wonder.

“You’re a talented swimmer; you’ll have another four years of feeling like you’re on top of the world, another four years where you can fuck around however you want to,” she continued severely. Her eyes flashed as she fought to keep her voice even and unperturbed, something she had always been masterful at. “And after your career is over, you _will_ start to think about your family name. And you had better pray that your father and I will be there for you when that happens, because with the way you are carrying on now...” she said, enunciating every word, “you’re barely hanging by a thread.”

“Oh, do you promise, Mother?” Sirius chirped with a faux smile. Thank God for Regulus warning him about this conversation; he had prepared himself for every possible thing that could be thrown at him and nothing was catching him by surprise yet.

Walburga narrowed her eyes and released a long exhale before responding, her voice lower now, the voice she liked to use when she was going in for the kill. “You think you can disregard your family’s wishes because you’re fucking some renowned American athlete?” Sirius raised his eyebrows at her out of reflex, and he almost kicked himself when her eyes lit up. “I've done my research, Sirius, and it’s obvious that you’re just the catch of the day for him right now. Some affluent British rebel who is good for an affair for a couple of weeks before he moves on to someone who is actually capable of—”

“Alright, you need to leave now,” Sirius said firmly, struggling to maintain the same unbothered tone in his voice, not because he believed her, but because of the disgust he felt about his own mother even trying to make him think that was true.

Walburga folded her arms quickly in front of her and chided, voice coming out a little higher, “Oh don’t throw a fit again, like you used to. It’s embarrassing. I don’t know how I raised a son who is still such a temperamental child in his late twenties.”

Sirius looked up at her quizzically for a few seconds. “I’m not ‘throwing a fit’,” he said in a tone of voice that suggested she had lost her mind, “I’m sitting here calmly and telling you to leave my house. And I’m telling you that what you’re saying doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.”

He continued staring as her lips formed a tight line. She looked desperately uncomfortable, likely confused by Sirius’ uncharacteristically unaffected response, and was silent for a beat before opening her mouth to speak, but Sirius beat her to it. “I’m your son, and one day you are going to regret how you have always treated me — that when I was growing up you never let me feel good enough, and then when I was the best fucking swimmer _in the world,_ I still wasn’t bloody good enough.” 

Sirius stood up and began to walk back towards the front door, continuing to address her,  “And I’ve been thinking about this, this whole fucked up mother-son dynamic between us, and it only really works if I’m still actively trying to please you — that’s the only reason we’ve maintained any sort of relationship at all, isn’t it?” Sirius gestured toward her, “But unfortunately for you, I have other people, and other family, in my life now. So nothing you think matters to me anymore, Mother. And no matter what insults you throw at me, nothing is going to erase that what you just did, here, in my living room right now, is going to impact you far more than it is going to impact me.”

Sirius stood by the door and waited for his mother to follow him. When she finally moved from where she was standing, frozen, Sirius could see the bitterness behind her eyes, and he cut her off again when she began to open her mouth to respond.

“No, don’t say anything else,” he said as he opened the door, but lost the faux smile and dropped his voice down a full octave before continuing,  “And don’t come here again. I’ll take more drastic measures if you do. I will see you at Regulus’ wedding, but not before then. And maybe you can do some fucking introspection before that. But if you don’t, it’s only going to be your loss.”

Sirius shut the door as soon as Walburga had stiffly stepped across the threshold. He leaned against it as relief washed over him. Relief that it was over, and relief that in fact, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as he had always thought it would be to finally acknowledge that he didn’t need his parents in his life any longer.


	14. Chapter 14

Remus and Sirius had agreed on a foolproof plan for Remus’ arrival. They decided that, unlike Sirius’ arrival in Tahoe, Sirius would not be meeting Remus in baggage claim at Heathrow airport because it was just too crowded, and too public, for the initial reunion that they wanted. Instead, Sirius had promised to pick him up with a driver, which was why Remus was currently in the airport bathroom, using the time it would take for his bag to come out to brush his teeth and frantically try to become more presentable. How Sirius had walked off the plane a couple months ago not only full of energy, but also looking effortlessly perfect was beyond his comprehension. Remus looked in the mirror and groaned, cursing his inability to sleep on airplanes. He was exhausted and it showed.

After splashing water on his face and changing into a clean dark green henley, Remus threw a baseball hat on his head -- not much of a disguise, but Remus hoped that it would be good enough to keep his identity hidden in Europe, where he was a little less likely to be recognized. He walked out of the bathroom towards baggage claim, saying a silent prayer that he would go unnoticed -- he had never felt so tired in his life and knew he would not be muster the energy to talk to anyone with any sort of enthusiasm.

Ten minutes later, Remus walked out of the airport pulling a large suitcase with him. He followed the directions that Sirius had just texted, and with his head down to avoid being noticed, eyes darting between his phone and surroundings looking out for landmarks from the instruction list, and his overwhelming exhaustion, he barely avoided running into an elderly couple in front of him. 

He sighed in relief as he exited the terminal and immediately noticed the nondescript black car that was waiting for him, feeling a rush of excitement that nearly made him forget about his fatigue. A man who must have been the driver stepped out and greeted Remus, then took his bag from him to place in the trunk of the car; Remus’ reaction time was about three seconds delayed, so for a moment, he wasn’t sure what to do next. He figured out that he should be getting in the car, and as soon as he pulled open the back door, he was met with a flash of bright silver before he was pulled inside by his wrist. As soon as Remus sat down, he looked over to Sirius and was met with a burst of laughter.

“Remus, you’re gorgeous, and I mean that truly, but you look like absolute shit right now,” Sirius managed to declare through fits of laughter as his hand caressed Remus’ knee, an affectionate gesture that was at odds with his words. Remus leaned back into the seat and groaned loudly, covering his face with his hands, and sank down a little lower.

“I’m not the best international traveller,” Remus supplied sadly, his voice slightly muffled behind his hands, as he leaned his torso a little closer to Sirius. “I’m so tired.”

“Aw, babe. I’m sorry. Come here,” Sirius said before Remus felt his hands being pulled down, and Remus let himself slide over into Sirius’ embrace. Sirius’ hand moved to cup his face, his thumb tenderly stroking his jawline. Remus couldn’t help but smile at how sated and happy he felt in his boyfriend’s arms in his sleepy state, and he lifted his face up to really look at Sirius for the first time since getting into the car. Sirius leaned in closer, and Remus eagerly captured his lips in a slow languid kiss. 

“God, I missed you,” Remus sighed as Sirius pulled away and the car began to move forward. He was thankful to see that there was a partition separating them from the driver and he shifted slightly to lean his head back down onto the crook of Sirius’ neck. “You smell so fucking good.” Sirius moved to adjust his position slightly, and Remus immediately pulled his shoulder back to keep him in place, and ordered nonsensically into his neck, “Wait, I wanna stay here for a little longer. You smell like Sirius.” He sighed and nuzzled into him. “Missed you.”

Remus smiled when he felt Sirius’ chest shake with silent laughter and his arms wrap tighter around his shoulders. A minute later, Sirius nudged Remus’ head up to press their lips together softly, which Remus happily complied with. Sirius shifted his body to recline back against the car door and pulled Remus against him, then Sirius’ hands made their way up Remus’ shirt and rubbed his back; he felt like his body was melting into a puddle at Sirius’ hands. In his delirious, dreamy state, Remus found himself hoping that by the time they reached the house, Sirius would have figured out how to cast some sort of spell to solidify his body back to normal again.

“I missed you too, Rem,” Sirius muttered as his lips made their way to Remus’ neck and his gravelly voice vibrated against his pulse point. “We are never going this long again. Never. But this is also really uncomfortable.”

Remus chuckled and shifted back to his seat, holding onto Sirius’ wrist and gently caressing the underside of his forearm. Sirius’ forearms were art, and Remus was always stunned by the softness of Sirius’ skin, no matter how many times he got to touch it.

“I can’t believe that in the several months we have been talking pretty much every day, I have never asked what part of London you live in,” Remus observed, feeling slightly less groggy than he had before getting into the car.

“Belsize Park, have you heard of it?” Sirius wondered, eyebrows raised in a curious expression. 

“No, my knowledge of London geography is very limited,” Remus said with a frown, “All I really know is that the Kensington/Chelsea area is extremely affluent.”

“Ha, yes. Very. That’s where I grew up actually,” Sirius informed him as his left hand crossed over his body to draw lightly on Remus’ knee. “I mean, Belsize Park is quite nice, too — Tom Hiddleston lives there if that tells you anything — but it’s nothing like Kensington.”

“Why did you choose to live there? I mean, besides Tom Hiddleston?” Remus asked.

Sirius laughed for a moment and squeezed Remus’ knee before responding casually, “All of the Potters live around there, within a 20 minute walk, and it’s decently close to my training facility. Plus I lucked out and found a great townhouse. It just made the most sense.” He leaned against the back of the seat and gazed at Remus, his eyes full of affection. “I’m so glad you’re here. I could stare at you forever,” he mused. Remus watched Sirius’ eyes dart down to his mouth, as the left side of Remus’ lips curled up into a smile that he quickly bit down on to keep from expanding. “Especially when you do that.” 

Remus rolled his eyes and laughed through his nose, his face feeling a little hot, although he could not seem to dull the smile on his face despite his best effort. “You said I looked like shit when you first saw me, though, which was an accurate observation.”

“But what you don’t seem to grasp, my lovely American dolphin—”

“Oh my god why,” Remus interrupted, but Sirius was unphased and continued on.

“— is that even on your worst day, you are still a 12 out of 10,” Sirius responded with the finality of someone stating a basic fact. Remus, lacking the mental capacity to banter at the moment, covered his face and laughed into his hands softly. 

They continued that way for thirty more minutes, Remus only speaking an average of two words for every 100 of Sirius’ as they made their way into the city. Remus was happy to sit back and listen to Sirius’ narration of the London scenery, finding that his voice melodically describing city facts had a comforting, lulling effect, until the car pulled up to a white townhome that stood about three stories high. 

“Come on, sleeping beauty,” Sirius said softly as he placed a light kiss below Remus’ ear, causing him to not-so-gracefully twitch out of the half-sleep he had drifted into. “Let’s get you into bed.” 

“I’m sorry I’m such a drag right now. I really am happy to be here,” Remus responded as he opened up the car door with a yawn and stepped outside. “But I really shouldn’t sleep yet, I want to get acclimated to the time change as quickly as possible.” 

“Nope, your idea has been vetoed!” Sirius chimed as he took Remus’ suitcase from the driver and handed him a wad of cash. “You’re going to sleep for at least three hours, probably more, and then we are going to try this whole reunion thing again when you are coherent. As cute are you are when you are tired, Remus, I am not interested in making moves on you when you’re drifting in and out of consciousness.” 

Remus opened his mouth to protest again, knowing how much his body fought travel, but Sirius was quicker and continued his monologue before Remus could even get a syllable out. “‘Oh, but Sirius,’ I know you are about to say, ‘what if I can’t sleep tonight after taking a long nap?’ Well Remus I have the perfect solution — we will just keep shagging until you finally do fall asleep. Problem solved. I’ve got loads of energy, I’ve prepared myself for this, did a lot of stretching this morning.” Remus could think of no response to this information, although felt a sense of weird deja vu in the moment, and chose to simply follow Sirius up to the front door. “‘Oh but Sirius,’ you must be thinking—“

“What must I be thinking? And why do you make my voice so high?” 

“‘But Sirius, I flew nearly 16 hours to see you and I can’t bear the thought of your hands being anywhere but on my body. Please take me now!”

“I just… why are you this way,” Remus groaned amusedly as he shoved Sirius’ shoulder from behind. 

“But as eager as you are right now — and trust me, Remus, I truly appreciate the enthusiasm, I see you can’t keep your hands off of me,” Sirius continued, “you really know how to make a man feel desired — I cannot in good conscience allow you to do anything right now other than sleep. I am, first and foremost, a gentleman.”  

Only paying half attention to the words flowing out of Sirius’ mouth at this point, Remus stepped into the house and took a moment to take in his surroundings. He had been so eager to finally see where Sirius lived and, on first glance, was absolutely not disappointed. The townhouse was more modern than he had expected — he had envisioned Sirius living in an older, more regal space for some reason, which was an idea that had probably been rooted in what Remus knew of his upbringing — and so much more inviting, somehow, than he expected. At first glance, the walls looked fairly unadorned, save for a few framed photos and paintings that didn’t seem to be selected for their color theme, and there was sunlight streaming through the large bay windows, revealing a gorgeous view of the city that lit up the whole space.

“Come on, you, upstairs,” Sirius directed, his voice interrupting Remus’ slowly-observing brain. “My bedroom is on the second floor. I can give you a proper tour after you sleep.” 

“I love it,” Remus managed as he began climbing up the stairs after Sirius, who was carrying his suitcase and loping easily up the stairs two at a time.  He was led into a large master bedroom with a king size bed against the center of the wall, that was covered in the most delicious, fluffy down comforter that Remus had ever seen (even compared to his own). The room was decorated in various hues of gray and dark teal, and looked immaculately tidy. “You’re so clean,” Remus couldn’t help but observe. 

“Yes and that has everything to do with me and nothing to do with my housekeeper,” Sirius supplied as he set the large suitcase on top of a bench against the wall before motioning to it tentatively. “Do you need anything in here right now?”

Remus shook his head. “No, I already brushed my teeth in the airport,” he said, turning around to look at Sirius. But a second later, he lifted his arm to point toward the corner of the room he was now facing, and Sirius followed his gaze before laughing, “Oh, that’s the giant stuffed dog my cousin Nym surprised me with when I got home from Sydney. Don’t worry, you’ll get to meet her.”

Remus laughed and commented that it looked snuggly, and Sirius walked towards him to circled his arms around his waist, his hands immediately finding their way under the back of Remus’ shirt again. “What are you going to do while I sleep?” Remus asked, sighing against Sirius as he drew small circles with his thumbs against his back, “I’m sure you had much higher hopes for how this day was going to go.” 

Remus picked up on the slightest huff of laughter before Sirius pulled him even closer and kissed him. His hands began to knead more firmly into the tightened-from-travel muscles in Remus’ back and Remus felt another deeper sigh pulled from his mouth. He felt Sirius smile against his lips before he pulled back to respond. 

“This is _exactly_ how I hoped the day would go,” he said, gently taking hold of the hem of Remus’ shirt and sliding it upward. Remus complied and lifted his arms, allowing Sirius to pull the shirt off. Remus watched as Sirius’ eyes raked over him with reverence and felt a twinge of regret that he actually did feel too destroyed to initiate anything further with the gorgeous man who was undressing him. Sirius set his hands on Remus’ hips and steered him gently backwards to the bed. His hands moved to the waistband of Remus’ jeans and quickly unfastened the button and zipper. 

“Lie on your stomach,” Sirius instructed with a small smile as Remus stepped out of the jeans and pulled back the covers, finally making his way into the bed, still cognizant enough to note that it was the perfect level of firmness. He vaguely registered the sound of Sirius moving next to him before crawling over to straddle Remus’ hips, sitting lightly on the very top his thighs. He felt Sirius lean forward and place a chaste kiss on the back of his neck before his hands resumed expertly kneading into his back.

“Oh my god,” Remus mumbled, elongating each word with his voice almost entirely muffled by the pillow, as Sirius slowly made his way to the center of Remus’ back, firmly massaging around his shoulder blades. He must have grabbed some sort of oil at some point, because everything about the touch was perfect. “How did I not already know that you were so good at this?”

“I have to keep some things a mystery, Remus. Got to keep you interested in me somehow, don’t I?” 

“It’s like you have magic pow-unnggfhhhhhh.” Remus lost his ability to form more words as Sirius’ thumbs moved to the base of his neck, almost as if Sirius had pressed a button that turned off his speech. He vaguely heard Sirius chuckle but decided to cease fighting the fatigue that was taking him over, choosing instead for Sirius’ fingers to lead him into sleep.

*****

Remus woke up feeling like he had gained back his senses. Hazy, staccato memories of exiting the plane, the car ride over, and collapsing into Sirius’ bed — and wait, did Sirius actually give him a massage or was that a dream? — came back to him. He was still very tired, but he felt like a functioning human again, and for that he was thrilled. He looked to his left and smiled to see Sirius propped up on multiple pillows next to him, relaxed and reading a book, a picture of perfection in black boxer briefs. Remus felt the domesticity of it all pull at his heartstrings and he reached over to draw lightly on Sirius’ side, following the shape of his muscle.

Sirius shut his book lightly. “Good morning, dolphin-man. How do you feel?” Sirius asked with a soft smile, then removed one of the pillows and shifted his body down to be level to Remus. Remus grinned back and quickly rolled over to face him, eager to finally be so close and feeling positively giddy. He let his hand fall at Sirius’ waist and ran his palm up and down at a languid pace, re-remembering the feel of Sirius’ body beneath his hands.

“Mmmm, much better. But it’s not actually morning is it?” Remus asked, biting his lip. He hoped he wasn’t passed out for too long wasting the day.

“No,” Sirius breathed, his lips barely a millimeter away from Remus’. His own hand reached around Remus and slid into the back of his boxers. “You slept for about four and a half hours, which isn’t a lot considering you were probably awake for over 30 hours before you got here.” Remus hummed, breathing into the tiny space between them before placing a single firm kiss on his lips. 

“Have you been here the whole time?” Remus asked as he moved his head to the crook of Sirius’ neck, breathing deeply again.

“I have,” Sirius answered before shifting his body a couple inches closer to ensure that as much of his bare skin as possible was making contact with Remus’. Remus groaned into Sirius’ smile as he felt Sirius’ erection slide against his own. “I slept for an hour, gazed upon your adorable sleeping form for about two and a half hours—”

“No, you did not,” Remus huffed as his hand trailed down to Sirius’ waistband, his thumb teasing around his hip bone. 

“No,” Sirius ducked his head to the side to give himself full ability to kiss all around Remus’ face, his hands now kneading more firmly along Remus’ ass, “but I did not leave this bed, and it was wonderful to know that you were right next to me the entire time.” 

Remus quickly moved his hand back over to stop Sirius’ as it began sliding its way to his front. “Let me go shower really quickly,” he said, his voice more alert than before. “I have 16 hours of travel, plus that wonderful massage oil you used, stuck to my body, and I absolutely cannot subject you to that.”

“So considerate,” Sirius mused as his fingers lightly drummed at Remus’ hip bone.

Remus kissed Sirius quickly on the lips, rolled out of bed and stood up. He looked back at Sirius in the bed, now sprawled on his back with one hand behind his head, and smiled. “It’ll take three minutes max. Stay right there, don’t move.” 

“As you wish, Buttercup. Towel’s on the counter,” Remus heard Sirius say and as he dashed to turn on the shower. He stayed true to what he has promised and kept the shower short, just making sure to wash all of the post-travel staleness away. A couple minutes later, he emerged back in Sirius’ bedroom refreshed, his hair damp and a fluffy white towel slung low around his hips.

As he made his way back to the bed, Sirius said nothing, but instead lifted up the covers he was under as an invitation for Remus to come back in. It didn’t take long for Remus to rid himself of the towel and join him, making every movement to line up their bodies for optimal contact. Both men sighed, relieved to finally feel each other without any barriers, and their hands roamed each others’ bodies. Neither man felt particularly rushed, both of them overwhelmed and almost sated just with the closeness. 

“I missed you so much,” Sirius groaned into Remus’ mouth as his palm began to slowly caress along every ridge of his spine. Remus had a hard time formulating a coherent response as he felt his body dissolve at Sirius’ words and touch.

“I had a plan for some raunchy sex for this reunion, Remus, some really unspeakable stuff,” Sirius breathed into the crook of Remus’ neck, his hands never ceasing to trail along Remus’ body, as if they discovered something new with each inch of skin. “But now we are tangled up and you’re finally right here, and I don’t think I can stop touching you long enough to make those plans happen.”

“Then don’t. We can save raunchy for later,” Remus replied as his own hand began to travel south of Sirius’ navel to wrap around his cock, “for a time when I don’t feel like I am going to die if you stop touching me like this.”

Sirius sighed raspily in response and flipped Remus over onto his back, his own words clearly having the same impact as Sirius’ did on him. Remus barely registered the next thirty minutes, too caught up in the feeling of relief and exhausted bliss, each moment somehow meeting every expectation he had built up in his mind over their month-long separation.

*****

“Wow, no wonder you never cook,” Remus said in awe as he gazed longingly into Sirius’ packed refrigerator. “It’s all just done for you.”

“It’s Nym again, she is incredible,” Sirius supplied as he pulled out a couple of premade meals, these featuring ground turkey, black beans, and tomatoes. “Honestly, I don’t think I could survive without her.”

“She even writes out the macro count of each meal. Unbelievable,” Remus muttered breathlessly as he took one of the containers from Sirius to read the attached label. Sirius watched Remus with amusement, his lips moving minutely as he read, surprised that this was such an interesting development for a fellow Olympian.

“I actually introduced her to some of the other swimmers because of how amazing she is at this, and she loves the research and logistics that goes into meal-planning too. She could have a business doing this, no question,” Sirius said as Remus continued to read. “So what do you think?” Sirius asked as he took a couple steps closer to nudge Remus with a  playful jab at his hip. He resisted the urge to do anything more around Remus’ hips and initiating an encore of what transpired in the bedroom only half an hour prior. He was cognizant of the fact that Remus must be starving by now. “Eat out or eat here? Or we can order something in.”

Remus hummed in thought, then glanced up at Sirius. “Are you counting macros right now?” Remus asked a little reluctantly.

“No way, I probably won’t be strict about that again for another year or so,” Sirius confirmed, “We can eat whatever you want.”

“Sushi?” Remus immediately requested as he set the premade meal down on the counter, his eyes filled with hope. Sirius felt like he might combust at the cuteness of it all, but once again made a conscious effort not to lift Remus onto the counter and forget dinner for another half hour. “Tahoe is gorgeous, but it certainly is lacking in food diversity. I can only really eat sushi when I travel to bigger cities,” Remus added when Sirius didn’t immediately respond.

“Sushi it is, babe. I’ll buy you all the sushi you could ever want, you’ll be swimming in sushi,” Sirius responded, smiling a bit larger than the topic warranted. “My favorite place is about a mile away and they’ll deliver. Should we do that? We can order online,” Sirius explained.

“Mmm, that’s the smart thing to do, right?” 

“I think so,” Sirius nodded with finality, then set his laptop on the counter and opened it up. “Unless you’re up to potentially being photographed tonight.” Remus wrinkled his nose in response. Sirius chuckled and focused on navigating to the restaurant’s website. 

“Delivery it is! What would you like? Do you want to look at the menu?” he asked, scanning the page. Sirius jumped slightly when he felt arms circle around him and sighed as he felt Remus against his back, his chin resting on Sirius’ shoulder. 

“You choose. Just order a bunch of your favorite things, I love it all.”

“A heavy responsibility,” Sirius mused in a voice lower by one octave, already adding an assortment of rolls to their order. “You’re lucky I have excellent taste and attention to detail, unlike James.” 

Sirius felt Remus’ quiet breath on his neck. “What did James do? I sense there is a story.”

“Isn’t there always with James?” Sirius laughed, his left hand moving away from the laptop and landing on the forearm that Remus had wrapped about his stomach. “I order whenever we want food, it’s always been like that. But there was one time when I was running a little late and James insisted that he should order because he was starving. So I thought, ‘oh, how nice, James is finally starting to pull his weight in this friendship.’”

“Finally,” Remus huffed against Sirius’ neck. 

“Thank you,” Sirius supplied before continuing, “And he says, ‘Don’t worry Sirius, I know what you love. I’ve seen you order from this place a thousand times. You can trust me.’ And I think, ‘Wow, he’s really growing up isn’t he? How lucky am I? I’ve got a best friend who contributes _and_ I get to eat my very favorite salmon hand roll tonight. I am so blessed.’ So as I make my way to James’ place, I’m in such a great mood. I’m fantasizing about the salmon hand roll. This one,” Sirius waved at the computer screen as he added three to their order. 

“Wow, it looks incredible.” Remus added a little too enthusiastically. “So what went wrong?!”

“I get to his house and the food arrives shortly after. I’m starving, I probably had just finished a long training day or something. So I ask him if he remembered the salmon hand roll. ‘Of course I remembered, Siri! What do you think I am, a moron?’ He was so proud of himself as he handed me two of them out of the bag. In my famished state, I rip open the first one. I barely even look at it before I take a massive bite. And Remus, the most vile, disgusting taste engulfs my unsuspecting taste buds. I was chewing for a couple of seconds before I _vomited_ on James’ table. No exaggerating, spontaneous vomiting ensued.”

“But why, Sirius?!” Remus asked in the same overdone tone, but Sirius could feel Remus smiling against his neck.

“I wondered the same thing, I knew that something wasn’t right. This was not salmon. So I dug the receipt out of the bag and found that James had made a mistake—”

“—Oh dear,” Remus groaned.

“He ordered the _salmon skin_ roll,” Sirius stated in a slow, accusatory tone, as he added the final items to the order, clicking to the next screen to put in his payment information.

“No. That cannot exist as a menu option, Sirius, what are you saying—”

“Oh, it does, sweet naive Remus,” Sirius laughed as one of Remus’ hands playfully punched him in the stomach. “Salmon skin, in a hand roll, made for consumption.”

“But again I ask, why? How?”

“Because James,” Sirius said severely, “James would order it. And he did.”

“Did you make him eat the second one as retribution?”

“I tried,” Sirius said morosely. He then shut his laptop and turned to face Remus, careful to keep Remus’ arms in place as he wrapped his own arms around him. “I tried very hard. Unfortunately he’s ridiculously strong, way stronger than I am. The man has bullied me our entire lives. No way was I going to overcome him this time, especially in my famished state.”

“That’s too bad, you poor thing. So mistreated,” Remus commented sympathetically, shaking his head regretfully with a playful pout adorning his face.

“The greatest disappointment of my life is that I didn’t get to force feed him salmon skin,” Sirius said before he sighed dramatically and threw his head back. As he turned back to face Remus, he was met with his favorite crooked smile. Sirius couldn’t resist any longer and began to kiss along his neck as the other man laughed softly. “Do you want anything to drink while we wait? I have beer and wine,” Sirius asked into Remus’ pulse point.

“Wine would go better with sushi. What do you think?”

“Definitely,” Sirius agreed. He placed a quick kiss on Remus’ lips before breaking the embrace to fetch the wine. “Plus you your inhibitions dissolve completely when you drink wine, so I’m never going to steer you away from it.”

An odd huff of surprise escaped Remus’ lips in response, sounding somewhere between amusement and indignation. “As if I am not easy enough around you when I’m sober?”

Sirius grabbed for the wine opener and worked to stifle a laugh. He raised his eyebrows and shot Remus a look meant to communicate something along the lines of ‘well then prove me otherwise.’ 

“What do you have in mind, you fiend? Three times a day? Four? Five? Why not six, that’s a nice round number?” Remus started getting more animated as he continued increasing the hypothetical shag count, and Sirius felt himself beam, always thrilled to successfully rile Remus up. “Hey, I’ve got a great idea! Why don’t you give up your illustrious career so that we never even have to leave bed!”

“Wow Remus, what an excellent suggestion!” Sirius exclaimed, intent on egging him on. “Although a bit ridiculous, I must point out — _clearly_ we would leave the bed, Remus. I do have it on good authority that you love shower sex, and counter sex, and hiking sex, and—“

“Okay okay, just pour the damn wine, would you,” Remus muttered in an exasperated monotone, betrayed by the small amused uptick of the side of his mouth. Sirius grinned at his surrender and happily handed one of the long-stemmed wine glasses over to him.

“Let’s go sit by the fire,” Sirius suggested as he led the way through the kitchen and into the sitting room, rubbing the small of Remus’ back as he passed by. Sirius plopped down gracefully on the loveseat across from the fire and Remus joined him there just moments later.

“So…” Sirius started as he pulled Remus’ legs over his lap, drawing shapes on his ankle, “have you thought about when you do want to go out in public?”

“You mean when will I be ready to have more pictures printed of us living our lives like normal human beings?” Remus clarified as he brought the wine glass to his lips.

“Mmm, that is what I mean,” Sirius answered, making eye contact to convey the shift from a comical topic to one of more substance, “but at least we get to control it this time.”

“I’m ready for it. It’s a small price to pay for what I get in return,” Remus said reassuringly with a soft smile. “But are _you_ ready for it? You’re the one that the media loves to shit on apparently.”

“Is it ridiculous to say I’m actually a little excited about it?” Sirius admitted almost daringly as Remus’ face flashed with look of surprise. When Remus remained quiet, Sirius took that as his cue to further elaborate. “It’s on my terms — _our_ terms actually — this time. And I’m proud of our relationship, proud to be dating you, so I kind of want everyone in the world to be in on it.”

With that, Remus grabbed Sirius’ shirt and Sirius was pulled over for a rough kiss, one that Sirius was eager to reciprocate, even if it only lasted a couple of short moments before Remus resumed the conversation.

“We can do it whenever,” Remus nodded and took a deep breath, “The sooner the better, right?”

“I guess so,” Sirius said, leaning his head back on the couch and looking at Remus, “No reason to put it off and stay holed up here.”

Remus brought the glass up to his lips and took a long sip. “Let’s do it tomorrow then,” Remus said firmly, fiddling absently with the stem of the glass as he rested it on his hip. “What did you have in mind?”

Sirius smiled at him and hummed. “I was thinking something simple, like going to Hyde Park for a couple hours. We can walk around, get a run in, grab some food and coffee nearby. Somebody is bound to recognize us and snap a picture.”

“People will be out? It’s not too cold?” Remus asked, looking out the window at the ice crystals formed on the glass, and sounding a little skeptical.

Sirius pulled out his phone to confirm what he had already thought. “It’s going to be chilly, but sunny. Anytime there is sun out in London I can guarantee most everyone will be outside enjoying it.” 

Remus nodded thoughtfully in response and ran his empty hand through his hair. “Sounds good, let’s do it.” 

“I can’t wait,” Sirius hummed dreamily and put down his glass of wine to run both of his hands up along Remus’ ankles. Remus shivered and laughed lightly in response, a sound Sirius found incredibly endearing.

“No word from your mother still?” Remus asked a little apprehensively, as if he didn’t totally believe Sirius when Sirius had said that the altercation two weeks ago had left him feeling far better than expected.

“Radio silence,” Sirius affirmed casually, not letting go of Remus, “I’ve never felt freer, it must be the nearly 30 years of feeling imprisoned.”

“Good,” Remus smiled, satisfied with the answer. He opened his mouth to change the subject, but he was interrupted, however, by Sirius’ ringtone.

“Is it the food?” Remus asked as Sirius glanced down at his phone, but Sirius reflexively put the phone on silent and looked back up.

“Nah, just Ben. My friend from the gym,” Sirius responded as he set the phone back on the table behind him.

“Did I make you miss your buddy workout today?” Remus asked with a sympathetic smile, sitting upright to set his wine glass down.

“Absolutely not, we met at the gym early in the morning. Got a couple hours in before I had to head to the airport,” Sirius explained, leaning his head back on the couch.

“Oh?” Remus said with raised eyebrows. He quickly shifted his body to crawl over to Sirius’ side of the couch, placing a couple kisses along his jaw. “Should I be jealous?” 

Sirius felt his breath catch in his throat as Remus continued, he hand now having moved to the hem of his shirt. “He could _never_ beat me in the pool, Remus. You have nothing to worry about.” 

“Will I need to worry when I can no longer dominate you in backstroke?” Remus sat back on his heels with a lopsided grin on his face, his hand now underneath Sirius’ shirt.

“Plus,” Sirius started as he tugged Remus by the arm to bring him closer again, “he was one of the first people who knew that I have a boyfriend.” Sirius watched Remus adopt a wide grin that made his eyes sparkle, which compelled him to maneuver onto his back to abruptly pull Remus on top of him. “Not to mention he is completely straight.”

Remus must have had the same thing on his mind. He met Sirius’ lips enthusiastically as his hands worked to push Sirius’ shirt up as high as it would go. Sirius’ hands found the small of Remus’ back and worked their way down, his left hand sliding under the waistband of Remus’ jeans as the other firmly grasped his arse. His hands began to circle around Remus’ hips with the purpose of eventually getting the jeans off of his gorgeous boyfriend. 

However, a loud knock at the door interrupted his plans and Sirius dropped his head back down on the arm of the couch in a show of frustration. Instead of matching Sirius, Remus started chuckling against Sirius’ neck. Sirius slowly lifted his head to watch Remus with an expression of betrayal on his face, as Remus lifted himself up and began maneuvering his way off of the couch.

“Oh don’t look at me like that, I’m starving,” Remus laughed, struggling to yank Sirius up by the wrists. “Come on, Sirius. No, stop making yourself so heavy. _Sirius_!” Sirius laughed the more exasperated that Remus became, finding that the more Remus pulled at his arm, the more committed he became to staying right where he was. “Actually, you know what, I know how to answer a door myself. Just stay here, you lazy old slug.”

“ _Slug_?” Sirius asked as he sat up properly, bringing a finger to the side of his mouth, as if he were in deep thought. “Refresh my memory, Remus. Um, who won the individual medley again? I’m having a lapse right now and just cannot seem to recall, but it seems relevant to our discussion somehow.” Remus snorted on his way towards the door and another loud knock rang through the room.

“I hope you already tipped him,” Remus called over his shoulder, “I haven’t gotten any pounds yet and I doubt that he’ll be thrilled to take American dollars.”

“Of course I did,” Sirius confirmed with a charming wink from the couch, and Remus hummed before opening the door to collect the food.

“No sushi for slugs,” Remus remarked with a grin as he passed Sirius on his way to the kitchen, bag of food in tow.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted from trying to live up to your expectations of me, Remus,” Sirius responded, finally up off of the couch and following him into the kitchen with their wine glasses in his hands. When he arrived, he leaned forward against the counter, propped up by his elbows, while he watched Remus navigate through the kitchen. “I’m a handsome and alluring slug who adores you though, so can you please, please reconsider?”

Remus eyed him with faux skepticism as he unpacked the two bags that were loaded to the brim with food, as promised, and answered very slowly. “Well, yes that is very true, I cannot deny the obvious… I’ll allow it.”

Sirius beamed, but stayed quiet while he watched Remus open various containers, feeling a burst of joy every time his face lit up over every new box of sushi he opened. Having Remus here, in his kitchen, doing ordinary everyday things, brought Sirius a unique sort of contentment that he could not describe.

“Plates?” Remus asked, pulling Sirius out of his reverie. 

“I’ve got them,” Sirius offered, moving over to the appropriate cupboard to grab two plates before motioning to the boxes of food in front of Remus. “So did I do well?”

“Well, it looks like you forgot the salmon skin,” Remus sighed with disappointment, eliciting a bark of laughter from Sirius, “but other than that it’s amazing.”

“Here, try this one, it’s my absolute favorite,” Sirius said as he placed a Jalapeno Hamachi roll onto Remus’ plate. Remus happily complied and popped the roll into his mouth. His eyelids flickered in pleasure as he chewed in slow motion.

“Fuck, that is really good,” Remus said with passion, “so many places get carried away with these over the top rolls —the ‘Dragon’ roll, the ‘Kamikaze” roll, the ‘Orgasm’ roll, the ‘Double Penetration’ roll—”

“—the ‘Junglecat’ roll. The ‘Hulk Hogan’ roll. The ‘Volcanic Eruption of Semen’ roll.” Sirius threw in nonsensically.

“Exactly.” Remus laughed. “All these ridiculous rolls where they pile in every ingredient that they can find in the kitchen. Tuna! Eel! Salmon eggs! Cream cheese! Sriracha! Cheetos! Maple Syrup! Liver and onions! At some point, it’s impossible to appreciate the flavors.” Remus picked up another piece of the Jalapeno Hamachi roll with his chopsticks and took a bite, his eyes lighting up yet again. “But this one is simple and perfect, unadorned; I love it.” 

“Do you want to sit down?” Sirius asked, still laughing at the impassioned nature of Remus’ rant, “I feel like I am being a bad host making you stand at the island while you eat.” Remus, his mouth full of salmon at the moment, responded with some sort of spastic hand gesture that Sirius had difficulty deciphering. 

“What was that Remus? You’re upset I don’t treat you better?” Sirius started melodramatically, noting the look of amusement growing on Remus’ mouth as his chewing slowed down, taking it as a cue to continue his charade. “You want to fly back home immediately?! No Remus, that is a little dramatic, don’t you think? I did offer to take you out after all.”

“I like eating while standing, don’t worry about it,” Remus answered, mouth no longer full of salmon, completely disregarding Sirius. “Plus I’m going to be here for a while, right? I promise I will make myself at home.”

Sirius nodded contently, waiting until his mouth was no longer full to change the subject. “James is so excited to see you.”

“Yeah?” Remus said, beaming as he opened up another box and selected a piece of salmon nigiri. “I’m excited to see him too.”

“He wanted to be here when I picked you up,” Sirius said, eyes lifting from the fresh ginger he was picking up with his chopsticks.

“At your house?” Remus said from behind his hand in the middle of chewing.

“Yes. He was very insistent, didn’t seem to understand why we could possibly want privacy your first night here. I was actually afraid he would come no matter what I said, so I lied and told him you weren’t coming in until tomorrow,” Sirius explained, draping a slice of ginger over a piece from the box Remus had just opened.

Remus smiled deviously at Sirius. “You rascal,” he said as he poured himself more wine, lifting the bottle questioningly towards Sirius when he was done. Sirius shook his head, choosing to slide his body across the island toward Remus instead, then circling his arms around Remus’ waist from behind. 

“I love having you here,” Sirius murmured softly into Remus’ ear, his hands moving back under the hem of his shirt and along his stomach, back to where Sirius had wanted them since the doorbell interrupted them. Remus hummed into his wine glass as he took a drink, then leaned back against Sirius. He reached his free hand up to comb his fingers into his hair, tugging a little less than gently, much to Sirius’ delight. 

“You know, I’m actually excited for tomorrow?” Sirius continued, as his thumbs settled to rest at the top of Remus’ waistband. “I’m excited for it all to be real, in a new way. It’s hard to describe.” 

“It’s always been real,” Remus assured him, his voice breathier as Sirius nuzzled into his neck. Remus leaned more of his weight onto Sirius, and Sirius moved to rake a hand up Remus’ body, one arm now draped along his stomach and one wrapped around his chest as he hugged him tightly. 

“Do you have any idea how crazy I am about you?” Sirius sighed, the small crack in his voice surprising even himself. Remus hummed again and turned around, placing his arms around Sirius’ neck and pulling their lips together. The kiss was slow and heavy; Sirius pulled Remus against his body again as Remus’ tongue gained entrance into his mouth, and Remus pulled Sirius’ hips against his own, braced against the counter.

“Let’s go to bed,” Remus whispered, voice hoarse as he pulled back, looking wonderfully disheveled — his eyelids were heavier, the golden flecks in his eyes turned a darker shade of gold. Sirius could do nothing but acquiesce. He took Remus by the wrist to lead him upstairs without another thought, sushi be damned. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter (minus the epilogue), and also my favorite chapter, because let’s be real here, even though this is a wolfstar fic, James is the star of the show.

“No, what is that?” a groggy voice whined as Sirius slowly opened his eyes. The smile that automatically formed on his face at the sight of Remus next to him slowly faded as he registered the bafflingly loud combination of knocking and ringing sounds flowing through his house.

“It’s James,” Sirius groaned pressing his palms to his eyes in frustration. “He knows you are here. He figured it out.”

“Are you sure?” Remus asked with apprehension as he traced his lips along Sirius’ collarbone, clearly not yet realizing that their plans for a lazy morning had been totally ruined.

“No one else be at my door at 7am. Plus, that’s his special knock.” 

“How charming,” Remus responded dryly as he leaned back on his elbow, the reality of James’ annoying persistence sinking in as the same _ring ring ring knock ring ring knock ring knock knock knock knock knock_ repeated for the fifth time. “He’s just going to keep on going, isn’t he?” 

“Forever. I hate him,” Sirius griped, standing up and taking a couple steps over to his dresser. He grabbed a pair of boxers out of his drawer and swiftly pulled them on. “This is not how I wanted you to wake up your first morning in London.” 

“Oh well that’s silly, Sirius,” Remus said through a huge yawn, “What could be better then being awoken by the soothing sounds of the notorious James Potter?” 

“Your cock. My mouth.” Sirius answered shortly, buttoning the jeans he had just picked up off his floor, probably the ones he had worn last night.  

“So generous,” Remus smiled with amusement as he laid back with his hands behind his head, still looking adorably dazed with sleep, which made Sirius simultaneously feel unbounded affection and absolute rage that _oh my god the fucking knocking will not fucking stop_.

“And currently homicidal,” Sirius growled, walking over to the door, stopping to address Remus once more before heading downstairs. “He’ll want to say hi, but don’t feel rushed to get out of bed or get ready or anything. He can fucking wait.” 

Sirius bounded down the stairs, frantic to get to the door to make the chorus of doorbells and knocking finally cease. As he pulled open the front door, he was greeted by the expected sight of James Potter, finger still stuck to the doorbell, smirking knowingly in a way that made Sirius want to punch him in his stupid fucking face, but also tried to remember that _Sirius, he is your best friend and you’ve done much worse to him._ James held eye contact, eyes which Sirius swore were challenging him, and despite Sirius’ presence in the open doorway, slowly pushed his finger once more into the button, holding it indefinitely. The doorbell sounded through the house once more until Sirius grabbed James by the wrist and pulled him inside.

“Oh, I’m _so sorry_ ,” James started, enunciating more theatrically than usual and sounding anything but sorry, “did I interrupt something?”

“Did it have to be 7am, Ja—“

James cut in, “I couldn’t have interrupted anything important though, since Remus doesn’t come in until tonight. Plus you’re usually up far earlier than this to work out. Isn’t that right, Judas?”

“God, and you call me melodramatic,” Sirius said incredulously, “How did you even know?”

“You didn’t answer any of my texts last night,” James supplied, making his way into the kitchen. “It was pretty obvious.”

“Okay, Watson,” Sirius snorted, turning to follow James.

“You twat, I’m clearly Sherlock,” James retorted, missing the wrinkle of Sirius’ nose and the abrupt shake of his head as he pulled the toaster out of a cupboard. “And why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”

“Well, _Jimmy_ ,” Sirius emphasized the nickname which made James cringe every time, “I was sleeping so gloriously this morning, you see, right next to the man of my dreams—“

“Right I’ve already established you’re a liar and Remus is here, but I don’t see what that has to do with why your chest is bare when someone is at the door,” James quipped sanctimoniously as he grabbed two pieces of bread and put them in the toaster.

“When we were pulled out of our wonderful stupor,” Sirius continued, his voice becoming louder to drown out any more potential interruptions, “by the most irritating blaring sound coming from the front door. I ran downstairs as quickly as possible to make it stop, hence no shirt.” 

“It would have taken two seconds. What if it had been the sweet old woman who lives next door?” James countered, now rifling through the open refrigerator. “Where are the eggs? You still keep them in the fridge like a weirdo, right?” 

“Top shelf, probably behind the berries,” Sirius answered, walking a couple of steps to turn the coffeemaker on.

“Ah ha!” James exclaimed as he pulled out the giant tray of eggs and headed towards the stove. “Do you want any?” 

“You know I do,” Sirius replied, resting his chin in his hand as he sat at the counter, “Make a few for Remus too, he needs to experience a perfectly cooked egg.” 

“I would be happy to, once he graces me with his presence,” James replied, “He won’t be impressed with them if they are cold.” He oiled the pan and turned on the stove. “So, how was the reunion?” James asked coyly as he rummaged through the cupboard to find the salt.

“Heavenly,” Sirius admitted, hesitant to reveal too much for some reason that he hadn’t identified yet. 

James sighed dreamily in response and leaned his hip against the granite. “Oh to be young and gay and fit.” 

“It’s honestly the dream,” Sirius replied evenly, “You should try it sometime.”

“Oh you’d love that, wouldn’t you, you _flirt_?!” James responded animatedly, pointing the rubber spatula at Sirius’ face, which was now plastered with a grin. “As tempting as that may be, I’m already living in greener pastures, Sirius.”

“Oh?” Sirius said, not able to suppress the massive grin lighting up his face.

“Absolutely. It’s called Dad Life,” James replied matter-of-factly as he began to crack eggs into the large pan in front of him. “It’s brilliant and I am the envy of many. You wouldn’t believe the looks of jealousy I get when I’ve got Harry out in the jogger with me.” 

“Hot guy out running with cute baby, who wouldn’t want to be you?” Sirius said matter-of-factory as he poured two cups of coffee, handing one to James. 

“Right, especially when I’ve got Lils by my side,” James said thoughtfully, taking a swig of coffee before continuing. “Honestly, Sirius, it’s the best feeling ever. Better than a gold medal.”

Sirius felt his eyebrows raise slightly at these words, realizing he was starting to understand James’ sentiment. He was considering what to say next when his choice was made for him, and he heard the sound of footsteps; he turned to see Remus making his way into the kitchen, hair still wet from the shower he must have just taken.

“Well, my my my. Remus “the Dolphin” Lupin is here, in all his bright American glory,” James proclaimed, his voice booming much too loudly considering everyone was in the same room. “And look Sirius! He knows how to put a shirt on when company is around! You could learn a thing or two from him.”

Remus cracked a smile and shook with silent laughter. “It’s good to see you James,” he said, walking over to give James a quick hug. “But keep off of him about that, please. Given the option, I’ll always choose a shirtless Sirius over a shirt-clad Sirius.” 

“Oh, vom,” James said under his breath, just loud enough to be audible before his voice perked up again. “Remus, I’m making you eggs. It’s going to be a life changing experience.”

“He’s not kidding, his eggs are the best,” Sirius confirmed as he took a bite of an apple. “He cooks the yolk perfectly every single time —a little runny while the rest of the egg is still crispy on the outside.”

“A treasured skill,” Remus mused appreciatively as he poured himself some coffee, standing across from Sirius now. “I cannot wait.” 

Sirius and Remus remained quiet as they sipped their coffee and watched James focus intently in the on the six eggs he was cooking, as if he were a contestant on a cooking show. Well, technically Sirius was mostly watching Remus as he watched James, feeling giddy each time he would flick his eyes over to meet Sirius’ and share a look of amusement.

After a couple more minutes of meticulous handling, James ordered Remus and Sirius to sit at the table, where he placed a plate of three eggs and two pieces of toast in front of each of them. He was happily singing a tune, which Sirius immediately recognized as “Fruit Salad”, except the word “fruit” had been changed to “egg” for obvious reasons — and sat down eagerly to watch his two friends eat.

“Now I know you’ll both still be hungry after this, but just think of it as a gourmet appetizer,” James said giddily as his hands fluttered along with his speech, waiting expectantly and becoming a little impatient when neither Sirius nor Remus made a move. “Well go on then!”

Sirius broke into his eggs and released a theatrical moan upon the first bite, the yolk perfectly cooked as usual. James’ face lit up, as expected, and swiveled between the two men as they continued eating. 

“These are amazing, James,” Remus proclaimed, putting another forkful in his mouth and chewing slowly. “I’ve never eaten more delicious eggs in my life.”

“Put it on the toast! Put it on the toast!” James demanded merrily, his hands fluttering above the table again.

“Just imagine how he’ll be when Harry starts eating solid foods,” Sirius laughed. He was used to this behavior from his best friend, but it was always more absurd in the presence of someone new. But then again, Remus was probably getting used to it already.

“More than that, imagine how he’ll be when Harry starts to play sports,” Remus offered as he took a bite of toast with egg on it, having timed it to make sure that James was watching. 

“Oh well he’ll be brilliant,” James asserted less than a millisecond later, suddenly less concerned with how the two other men were eating. “His hand eye-coordination is already far beyond the average five month old. He grabs his pacifier with such precision it’s almost scary. It’s like I’m raising some sort of British Clark Kent.”

“Wow, I’d love to see that!” Remus gaped, doing such an excellent job of expressing astronishment that he almost sounded genuine, but Sirius knew better. James, however, did not, and beamed with pride even as Remus changed the subject. “James, why aren’t you eating with us? Surely you want to partake in this experience as well?” 

“Oh I will, you sweet, considerate man. But not yet,” James said and took a swig of coffee before crossing his legs. “Call me crazy, but I get more joy out of watching people eat what I cook than eating it myself.” 

“Dad Life,” Sirius supplied as James nodded in agreement. “He was born for it.” 

“So, what are you two up to today? Anything exciting? Or are you just going to hide away the whole time Remus is here? Stay in bed _forever_?” James started, giving Sirius an unimpressed look before turning back to Remus. Suspecting that this was going to launch into one of James’ speeches, Sirius stayed silent and sat back, waiting for him to finish. “You know Remus, if you get bored hanging around with him, just call me up. Harry and I will take you all around London. Show you the sights. Treat you right. Do you like Rococo art? We absolutely adore it, I think Harry is really drawn to the pastels —a huge fan of Fragonard. He’s got great taste, of course. You may not know this, Remus, but you can learn a lot from a five month old. You’ll see the world through new eyes.”

Figuring that James was done, Sirius cleared his throat to get the attention back on him before speaking again. “To answer your initial question, James, before all of that… nonsense—“

“The offer stands Remus, you have my number,” James cut in quickly.

“We are going to Hyde Park,” Sirius continued, louder now. “Going to spend a couple of hours there since the sun is actually coming out today —go for a long run, grab lunch, pass by Kensington Palace.”

“Oh my, how very public,” James said with intrigue, emphasizing the last word with far more scandal in his voice than their plans warranted. 

“That’s the point,” Sirius smirked, popping the final bite of toast into his mouth.

“Mhm,” Remus chimed in, “we’re going _public._ ” 

“Wow wow wow, it’s happening,” James stood up in excitement. “And all because I gave you that magazine in Sydney. Wow.”

“Well, it may have been a little more than just that,” Sirius attempted to point out but was silenced by a dramatic wave of James’ hand.

“All because I brought up Remus ‘Perfect’ Lupin, his words, not mine, during the flight on the way to Sydney.” He let out a dramatic sigh, a satisfied smile now plastered on his face. “Wow, look at the good I’ve done.” 

“Well, yes you definitely had some part in it Jamie, but I wouldn’t give you _all_ the credit—”

“I can see it now. An interview with the great James Potter about how it all began.” He stopped pacing and turned back towards the table, his eyes shining brightly and his voice starting to mimic a newscaster. “‘Two Olympic swimmers with a tumultuous history, an intense rivalry... turned lovers? One loves the great outdoors while the other speaks in a snotty posh accent. One saves kittens from burning buildings in his free time while the other hires a housekeeper to do all of his chores—‘”

“Oh come on!” Sirius interjected indignantly.

“‘How did America’s _golden boy_ and Britain’s _bad boy_ put their differences behind them?! Could it be a modern day version of _Grease_? Tell me more, tell me more!’”

“God, I hope nothing like that is written,” Remus groaned. “I’m just going to ignore the internet for two months.”

“Something like that will definitely be written, if it hasn’t been already,” James assured him and Sirius cringed, hoping that this wasn’t leading Remus to reconsider anything. Just as the thought crossed his mind, however, Remus shot him a reassuring smile and the worry faded. “You two should take advantage of it. Go on Oprah or something. Jump on her couches.”

“I think the goal is to maximize our privacy without having to hide. So if Oprah happens to ring us up today, it’ll be a no. Right Rem?”

“Right,” Remus agreed. “I’ll be more open to any publicity about it when people have settled down about it. If they even continues to care, that is.”

“Oh they will.” Both James and Sirius responded with conviction, causing a look of dread to cross Remus’ face. “Sorry buddy,” James continued, “it’s probably going to be better if you’re realistic about it.” 

“Right. I mean, you saw the articles about me for months when they got pictures of me with just some random guy, right?” Remus nodded morosely, walking to pour himself more coffee. “Well you’re far more interesting than just some random guy.” 

“Are you sure he’s worth it, Remus? You’re a total ten out of ten, you know. To be honest, you could probably do better,” James chattered flippantly as he turned the stove back on to cook the next batch.

“Wow, betrayed by my best friend in the whole world,” Sirius observed lightly. “Why am I not surprised?” James ignored the comment and turned back to Remus to double down.

“Really Remus, he’s my best mate —I know everything about him — and I gotta say that you’re out of his league,” James rambled on, sending Sirius a wink to communicate that this was all being done in good spirits. 

“You aren’t too well acquainted with his cock then,” Remus said unexpectedly, a smirk glued on his face, as if he knew the reaction this would pull from James — a predictably frantic scream of “STOP” that mixed in with a loud, sudden bark from Sirius. “I mean, I’d be happy to go into detail about it for you, James. You are his best friend after all. Don’t you think you really should know _everything_ about him?”

“Remus.” James spoke, his voice now commanding and serious, the opposite of what it had been merely ten seconds before. Once James made sure that Remus was holding steady eye contact, he once again pointed the spatula, his eyes actually somewhat frightening and matching the tone of his voice. “No.”

“God you’re a catch,” Sirius commented breathlessly while still laughing. He stood up and walked over to plant a kiss on the top of Remus’ head. 

“I feel so out of place now,” James revealed, his eyes wide with realization.

“Oh, he’s suddenly so aware!” Sirius announced loudly.

“It’s like you teamed up against me because I’m hetero,” James said as he rummaged through the refrigerator, let out of huff of victory when he pulled out a package of breakfast sausage. 

“That must be very difficult for you,” Remus responded, his voice laced with teasing sympathy. “Well, if it counts for anything, I enjoy your presence, James. Don’t feel out of place.” 

“Don’t worry, Remus,” Sirius assured him as he began to rub his shoulders, “he’s not going anywhere. He just has a flare for the dramatic, likes to put on a show.” 

“It’s true,” James grinned in affirmation. “As if I haven’t heard much worse from Sirius over the past 15 years — the man is an over-sharer. He’s been extremely tame since he met you though, remarkably tight-lipped, Lily notices it first.” 

“Well that’s sweet,” Remus professed, glancing up at Sirius with subtle look of adoration that felt out of place in the conversation they had been having. Sirius considered the possibility that he may actually melt on the spot. Feeling overwhelmed from the sudden intimacy, Sirius figured that a change of subject was in order and turned his attention back to James. 

“So Jamie, any chance you and Lils can get a babysitter and come out with us sometime? I want to take Remus to French House, and it won’t be as fun without you two.”

“What’s French House?” Remus asked before James could respond.

“It’s our bar!” James exclaimed happily. “We’ve been going there for years.”

“Mmhm,” Sirius affirmed as he moved around the table to sit back down, “I told you about it when I was in Tahoe, remember? Small glasses of beer, a dollar each.”  
“Oh right, ‘like they do in France.’” Remus recited, accepting the large plate of sausage and eggs that James presented to him. 

“That’s the one, Remy boy!” James nearly sang, bringing two plates to the table now, setting one in front of Sirius and the other in front of himself as he sat down. “Of course we can arrange that, Mommy and Daddy are dying for a night out on the town.” 

“ _Mommy_ likes to get crazy,” Sirius said informatively, looking directly at Remus, whose lips crooked up into an amused smile as he chewed slowly. 

“That she does,” James confirmed with a dreamy look on his face which suggested he was recalling a satisfying memory. He snapped out of it a moment later and took a large bite of sausage, he hadn’t quite finished chewing before he continued on. “Yeah, we will make it happen. What day were you thinking?”

“Whenever you and Lily can get a sitter.” Sirius shrugged, “Our schedule is flexible without a five month old.” 

“I’ll talk to Lily about it when I get back home,” James nodded, “try and convince her to wear that green dress. Good plan team.” 

“Fantastic.” Sirius smiled and stood abruptly, finished with his food and eager to get moving with the rest of his day. “I’m going to go take a shower, big day ahead. I have to look presentable if I’m going to be photographed next to that one,” Sirius gestured in the direction of Remus before depositing his plate into the dishwasher and heading upstairs.

*****

Sirius insisted on riding over to Hyde Park on his motorcycle, rather than jogging the three and a half miles or taking a cab. Apparently London had not had a sunny day in a couple of weeks and Sirius was dying to take his “baby” out, begging in such an excited manner that there was no way that Remus could deny him. 

Remus saw the appeal of the motorcycle, he really did, but it simply wasn’t for him. It definitely completed Sirius’ persona, and for that Remus adored it, but he was too safety-conscious to really enjoy the ride; he had been too busy having an internal conversation with himself — _no Remus, he isn’t going to crash the bike. Today is not the day you die... on the pavement. Head cracked open. Blood in the street. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!_ — to actually enjoy the sights around him.

“Alright there, babe?” Sirius grinned as he stepped off the bike, having reached their destination. As Sirius pulled off his helmet, Remus almost resented how sexy the picture was — his hair coming loose and surrounding the sharp features of his face, a triumphant smile on his lips. Almost. “You look a little frazzled and we barely went over 25 miles per hour the entire trip.” 

“I’m a little stressed,” Remus admitted, earning an appreciative smile bordering on a frown from Sirius as he unbuckled the chinstrap of Remus’ helmet and lifted it off of his head. 

“Well thank you for indulging me,” Sirius murmured before reaching a hand forward to gently cup Remus’ jaw, leaning down to initiate a slow tender kiss which felt almost too intimate given the people walking by. “God that feels good,” Sirius sighed as he pulled back, extending his hand to help Remus off the bike. 

“Hmm?” Remus asked, unsure if Sirius was referring to the ride over or the kiss.

“Kissing you in public. It’s my new favorite thing,” Sirius stated assuredly. “Plus, seeing you on my bike is pretty surreal. I think I’m in heaven.”

“You’re easy to make happy,” Remus commented, bumping Sirius’ hip with his own as they walked into the park. 

“When you’re involved in the mix I am,” Sirius supplied merrily, grabbing Remus’ hand in his own. Remus nearly flinched in response, not used to Sirius’ touch outside of their respective homes, but squeezed his hand back once he had processed his unnecessary hesitation. Sirius must had noticed a slight resistance however, as he turned his head to Remus questioningly. “Is this okay?”

“Of course,” Remus smiled, hoping to reassure his lovely boyfriend that he did want to hold his hand, “I’m just used to hiding, I forget.” Sirius made a sound of understanding just before Remus stopped walking and yanked him closer, pulling him in for another slow kiss. Remus took the lead, his hand reaching to the back of Sirius’ neck, his fingers gently playing at his hair as his tongue gained entrance into his mouth. Remus smiled as he swallowed a soft sound of surprise from the other man and pulled his body closer. He pulled his head back a moment later to look at Sirius, smile still in place.

“If you could warn me before you do that again, it would be much appreciated,” Sirius stammered, his eyes looking slightly dazed. “When someone eventually takes a picture of us, I’d prefer for my erection not to be plastered all over the internet.”

Remus snorted. “Fair enough,” he laughed as he snaked his hand around to the front of Sirius’ face, his thumb outlining the side of his mouth. Sirius had chosen to wear loose gray track pants that gathered at the ankle, in case they decided on running around the park. They were functional and presentable enough, but Sirius’ request was reasonable — they could potentially show the world far too much if Remus made it too _hard_ on him. 

Remus angled his head to the side as his eyes reserved another long couple of moments on the gorgeous face in front of him. The man who he had fought his attraction to for years, only to experience the best months of his life once he gave into it. When Sirius looked at him quizzically, Remus exhaled before softly saying, “You know I’m in love with you, don’t you?”

Sirius eyes widened immediately, and Remus was relieved to see the edges of his mouth begin to curl up into a smile. But before he knew it, Sirius had pressed his lips against his own, kissing Remus with a renewed excitement. Remus smiled into the kiss and felt his heart soar.

After a moment, Sirius pulled back an inch. “I’ve been in love with you since my birthday,” Sirius said simply, his hand reaching up to cup Remus’ jaw as his eyes looked at him with a level of admiration he had never seen trained on him before, “I just thought it was too soon to say anything.”

Remus met his gaze, feeling Sirius’ rapturous expression mirrored on his own. He stepped back, hand still interlaced with Sirius’, and began walking in the direction they were headed before. “Let’s go — show me around, _babe_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue to come :).


	16. Epilogue 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, I’m so sorry that this took longer than I intended. There are some more additional comments in the end notes, but please keep in mind that the E rating still very much applies!

_ Three Months Later… _

 

Remus looked up from the book he was reading on the couch as Sirius stepped through the doorway. “Hey babe, didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”

It was March in Tahoe, cold despite the increasingly sunnier days, and snow still covered the ground in a blanket of pure white. The burst of heat Sirius felt when he closed the door and walked further inside to stand in front of Remus made him want to remove his winter coat immediately. But then he remembered his mission.

“I have a surprise for you,” Sirius responded with a steady tone, “but you have to come with me.”

Remus’ eyebrows shot up and he did nothing but stare at Sirius in silence for a long moment, book still in hand, and not moving a muscle to do anything resembling following Sirius’ instruction.

His eyes narrowed and his fingers drummed along the page. “Your hair isn’t even wet,” he observed with skepticism. “You weren’t at the pool were you?”

Sirius took a huge breath into his chest and lifted a pointer finger. “No,” he offered, dropping his hand down again. Remus sighed a laugh and closed his book. 

“That’s why you took an Uber then,” he reasoned, and Sirius nodded as he shot Remus a look that he hoped would communicate that he was not playing around. 

They had built up a good routine, the two of them, considering they called two different continents home. Remus had spent a lot of time in London over the past three months and Sirius’ training schedule had been straightforward to manage there, especially given that his entire life was based over there as well. All Remus had to do was keep himself busy while Sirius was at the pool or at the gym so that they could enjoy their time together when he wasn’t — and as someone whose favorite pastime was solo international travel, it hadn’t been hard for him. But when Sirius had arrived in Tahoe for the second time about two weeks ago, it had proven a little more difficult to sort out their routines. A more active adjustment, but they got it down eventually. 

Remus typically drove Sirius to the Tahoe Aquatic Center that was a couple of miles away from his home in the morning, then picked him up around six to eight hours later. Remus usually hung around the pool for the first couple hours to get his own workout in (old habits die hard), plus it gave him the opportunity to watch Sirius practice and catch up with his former coach or Caradoc whenever they were around. He would usually leave after his laps and get some work done from home or a coffee shop. 

“Alright, where are we going?” Remus asked as he stood up and walked into the kitchen to grab his car keys and wallet. He looked at Sirius expectantly as he approached the rack by the door to grab his coat, but before he could, Sirius stepped forward to take his wrists.

“Remus, it’s a surprise,” he reiterated, rubbing gentle circles on them with his thumbs in an attempt to counteract the second skeptical look the other man was throwing his way, “So I’m just going to tell you what turns to take and you’re going to act like you aren’t familiar with Tahoe at all and each new street is a surprise.” Remus snorted as Sirius pulled him against his body and pressed their foreheads together. “Do you think you can do that,” he asked solemnly.

“Uh, yeah, Sirius,” Remus huffed as if Sirius had just asked him if bonita fish are big. “I think I can do that.”

“Great,” Sirius supplied before placing a quick kiss on Remus’ cheekbone. He pulled back and opened the front door as Remus grabbed his coat successfully this time and the two of them made their way to Remus’ truck.

Sirius jumped into the passenger seat, gave Remus a couple of immediate directions to get them going, and fiddled with the radio while Remus began to back the truck out of the driveway. 

“I feel like we’ve barely had any downtime since I got here,” Sirius said as reached over to touch Remus’ forearm. Remus hummed softly and sent Sirius a quick smile before looking into his rearview mirror.

“I know, I’m sorry about that,” Remus offered, “It’s a lot less fun than your last trip here isn’t it?”

“No, I mean, don’t apologize. It’s not like the nights haven’t been amazing enough,” Sirius said. “It’s my schedule that’s a pain more than yours, anyway.” He shrugged, still looking at Remus, whose eyes were trained on the icy road in front of them, “It’s just real life now, and we are adjusting.” 

Remus hummed. “So is that what this is?” he asked, “Did you plan some downtime?”

“Not quite, but in a way it kind of is?” he said cryptically, but before Remus had a chance to call him on it, he added, “Take a left at this next light.” Remus hummed as he looked over his left shoulder and merged into the left lane. “So did you get your work done this morning?”

“While you were mysteriously not at the pool for over two hours?” Remus quipped, “I did. I talked to Poppy, and the company that wants to work with me sounds perfect, exactly what I’ve been looking for. Outdoor focused, and I’ll consult for them. Thank god I have some name recognition.”

“That’s brilliant,” Sirius beamed. Although enjoying the break, he could tell Remus had been going mildly stir crazy over the last couple of months without anything long-term to devote himself to. Sirius still loved being around him, of course, but he had noticed that Remus was more tense than usual. Sirius didn’t pry, but internally, he had pinned it on the significant difference in their schedules as one of the main drivers. “When will that start?”

“The company is headquartered in Washington state, so I’m going to fly out there for a night or two next week. It’ll be an introductory meeting, and I’ll have a chance to throw some ideas out there,” Remus explained, “I’m excited to dig in and start preparing for it.”

“Well that is  _ very  _ exciting,” Sirius agreed, smiling fondly at him. “You’ll be brilliant. Can’t wait to see what it all turns into for you.” 

Remus’ lips twisted into a smile. “Me too,” he said with a nod. “Am I still going straight?” he asked as he motioned to the road. 

“Turn right in another mile,” Sirius instructed, and he turned his gaze to the road too. It was silent for a few moments before Remus spoke again.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been myself lately,” Remus started, as if he had read Sirius’ thoughts. “It’s more of an adjustment than I thought it would be. You know? I really thought I would enjoy at least the first six months of my ‘retirement’, but I’ve been so anxious instead.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Sirius said, watching Remus attentively now, “You’re sorting your new life out.” 

Remus nodded. “That’s nice of you to say, but it’s difficult anyway. And I love having you around, Sirius. I love being with you obviously, I love  _ you,”  _ Remus explained, and Sirius saw him tip his head to the side in thought, “But I’ve been thinking about it and being so close to you can send my mind into weird places sometimes.” 

“What do you mean?” Sirius asked slowly, his heart sinking a little more than he wanted to let on in that moment.

“No no,” Remus started, moving his free hand onto Sirius’ knee, and Sirius figured that his voice must have given him away, “that came out in the wrong way. Turning right here?” Remus paused and Sirius nodded. “What I mean is that I unconsciously compare myself to you. You’re always active, you are always doing something, you have a purpose. Everything that, up until six months ago, I had too. I didn’t think it would be hard at all, but it’s just a weird shift in my life to see you still working towards that while I’m adjusting to not. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah,” Sirius said, and it did make sense. A lot of sense. As someone who didn’t understand the pull of holidays even, Sirius was shocked Remus lasted any length of time without something to work towards — he would probably last a week before going mad and making everyone around him miserable. Remus was happy as a clam, comparatively.

“Seeing it so up close, your training schedule, your discipline, while I’m…” Remus huffed a laugh, “this sounds a little crazy, but while I am kind of grieving that purpose in my own life, can get difficult. Obviously — and I hope this goes without saying — it’s nothing compared to how much you add to my life and how much I want to be with you, but I just have to be aware of it so that I can understand what I’m feeling.” 

“I get it,” Sirius responded. Sirius had been wondering whether his training would affect Remus at all, so he wasn’t exactly surprised to hear this. “It’s kind of like trying to get over a breakup when you still see the other person all the time.” 

“Exactly,” Remus agreed. “But I genuinely don’t want you to change what you’re doing at all. I want you to pursue everything that you want to and go on to break even more records at the next olympics and get all of the ad campaigns you could ever dream of. I know the problem is me and that’s why I apologized.” 

“Hey. It’s not an issue, Remus,” Sirius said gently. “It’s just a transitional time for you. I see that.”

Remus sighed through his nose, still looking ahead. “I don’t feel like I’ve been giving you my best self lately.” 

“You don’t have to.” Sirius squeezed the hand that was still sitting on top of his knee. “I’ll be around when everything is going great, and I’ll be around when you’re working through things. It’s just the ebbs and flows of life.”

“How do you always say the right things?” Remus laughed.

Sirius shrugged. “I never wanted a relationship until you. So once I realized that, I put a lot of thought into it. Plus, Lily forces me to talk to her and she’s a relationship genius and all…” Sirius waved his hand. “Although, that being said, I expect you to stick around when I have a midlife crisis in the year 2032 after not qualifying for the Olympic team and being thrown out for being ‘old and washed up’.”

“Well that’s ridiculous, you know I’m only with you to ride along your coattails for the fame,” Remus joked. “Once you lose that, I’m gone and onto the next Olympian I can snag.” 

Sirius threw his head back against the headrest and laughed loudly. “There he is.” 

“I’m so fucking relieved those headlines quieted down after a while though. I feel like we got away easy, really,” Remus muttered and Sirius grunted in agreement. 

The public opinion of their relationship had been a rollercoaster when the story first broke. When the first pictures were put out there, there was a slew of unwarranted criticism of Remus flying around, which Sirius found to be even worse than criticism of himself. But when they came out together publicly, embracing it all on their own terms, something shifted, and their relationship was mostly just celebrated, aside from Sirius’ family of course. But it had been nice, Sirius supposed, if there had to be media attention on them, but he would never understand the rabid obsession with his personal life that many people seemed to have. At least the crux of it was behind them. 

“We are almost there, Rem,” Sirius supplied, noticing where they were, “Just half a mile ahead and then we are going to enter a neighborhood.”

“A neighborhood?” Remus clarified and wrinkled his nose for a second. “Not what I expected, but okay.”

“I’m unpredictable,” Sirius said offhandedly.

“Uh huh,” Remus grunted in an unimpressed tone that made Sirius chuckle. “You don’t mind if I leave you to go to Washington next week though?” Remus asked as he reduced his speed. 

“Of course not, as long as you don’t mind leaving me alone at your house.”

“You’ll watch Bear?” Remus asked, looking at the snow-covered lawns outside the window.

“Yeah, you know I will. Don’t worry about any of it,” Sirius assured with a wave of his hand, “We’ll have so much fun that he won’t even miss you.” 

“I don’t doubt that,” Remus laughed. “I am sorry to leave you while you’re visiting, though.”

“Remus, stop! I do my work stuff every day when I’m at the pool and the gym and on the phone with my coach,” Sirius implored. “I’m  _ happy  _ for you.” 

“Thanks,” Remus’ eyes flicked over to Sirius and he smiled as they approached a side street. Sirius smiled back before he pointed ahead of them about 100 yards away.

“Pull over up there,” Sirius instructed.

“Okay,” Remus said, very tentatively now, as he did as Sirius instructed. “This isn’t a surprise belated birthday party, is it...?”

“Oh, please,” Sirius scoffed. “Do you think I have a death wish, Remus?”

Remus laughed as he shut the engine off and opened the car door. Sirius waited for him to walk in front of the truck and grabbed him by the hand to wordlessly lead him to the condo looming in front of them. 

“These are nice,” Remus commented, looking around at the expansive property. “So close to the lake too. I’ve never been over here before.” 

“Yeah, pretty ideal, right?” Sirius asked nonchalantly as he walked up to the front door of the outer right unit. “We’re going inside now.” He pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door, holding it open for Remus who now wore a highly confused look on his face.

“Why do you have a key?”

“Because I bought it,” Sirius said as he continued holding the door for his boyfriend who had apparently forgotten how to move. “It’s my house. Well, correction, in 25 days it will be my house but the realtor and sellers agreed to let me have the key for this today.” Sirius nudged at Remus, who was still just looking at him with wide eyes. “Can you please go inside?”

Remus nodded slowly and walked through the front door. He swiveled around in the entryway to take in the fully furnished space, but remained silent, which was driving Sirius completely crazy. 

“Do you like it?” Sirius asked expectantly as he took off his coat and draped it over the back of the dark brown leather couch.

“It’s really nice,” Remus replied evenly before taking in an audible breath and turning toward him. “You bought a house.” 

“The time that we have spent apart since I first came to visit has been torture,” Sirius said simply and looped his thumb through the key ring. “For both of us I think, right?” 

“Yes, it has been. Starting a relationship in two different countries isn’t exactly a formula for success,” Remus affirmed, but his tone was detached. 

“This was the best solution I could think of. I can spend two to three months at a time in Tahoe training, maybe even more depending on the time of year and whether there are any big competitions coming up in Europe,” Sirius said, and he took a step toward Remus, who still looked like a deer in the headlights. “I’ve talked to my coach and he thinks it could work if I fly him out here for a week each month.”

Remus nodded thoughtfully and finally his mouth started to turn up at the corners. The smile didn’t quite meet his eyes, but Sirius was relieved to see one at all. It had been risky, afterall, deciding to go through with a purchase this large without even consulting the other man first. “I think it’s fantastic.” 

“You do?” Sirius said, a small smile forming on his own face now as he watched him carefully.

“Absolutely,” Remus assured, and as if he were logicing through this in real-time, he added, “I know that training needs to be your priority, and having a stable place to spend a few months at a time will probably help you keep your focus too.”

“Exactly. And I was thinking that it will relieve you of feeling like you should fly back and forth between London a lot to see me. Which, now that you are going to be traveling to Washington and working and all that, wouldn’t be easy for you.” Sirius walked up behind Remus and wrapped his arms around his waist. He pulled Remus close against his chest and kissed his jaw softly, testing the waters in a way because he was definitely picking up a weird vibe from Remus. “I don’t want distance to come between us. Especially when we have the means to find a solution.” 

Remus leaned his head back against Sirius at this, exposing his neck more, and Sirius took that as a good sign, and he moved his hands down to Remus’ hips. Sirius pulled his fingers slowly across the flat planes of his stomach and traced the curve of his hipbones, kissing gently along his neck. 

“I love you,” Remus sighed against Sirius’ hair, and Sirius pulled him tighter against his body. He always loved Remus like this, softening into him at even the lightest of touches. It was a strange juxtaposition, as Remus was the picture of strength and grit at every other time and to everybody else, and that was why these moments drove Sirius absolutely crazy.

“Come on,” Sirius instructed gruffly as he pulled Remus by the hand across the living room, past the kitchen and through the door that he knew led into the master bedroom. He closed the door behind them and pressed Remus up against it, his hands moving under Remus’ shirt as he reached behind Sirius’ neck and pulled their mouths together into a searing kiss. 

They didn’t remain there long, though, as Sirius pulled back to push Remus’ shirt up over his head and then went to take his own off as well. Remus was slimmer now than he had been back in October, after having ceased his rigorous swimming schedule. He still spent time at the pool, of course, but going from eight intense hours every day down to two moderate hours five times a week had really leaned him out. His lats were noticeably flatter, and his arms were becoming more toned from the extra time he was spending lifting weights instead of swimming laps. Sirius found that he couldn’t get enough of every inch of him. 

“You’re so fucking sexy,” Sirius huffed before pushing himself back up against Remus, groaning as their bare skin and mouths met at the same time. They kissed slowly for a while, Sirius’ hands rubbing firmly along the sides of Remus’ torso as Remus’ hands snaked across his shoulders and down his back. It was crazy, Sirius thought, how this dynamic between them hadn’t even started to cease. If anything, it had intensified -- perhaps because Sirius had never experienced a connection so strong with anybody before. He felt it in his bones, and every other part of his body as well. 

When a hoarse moan was pulled from Remus’ mouth and landed on Sirius’ lips, something broke inside of Sirius. He planted a final kiss on the crook of Remus’ neck before sinking down onto his knees and fiddling with his belt buckle. He got rid of the belt quickly, and Remus leaned his back against the door as he moved on to the button and zipper. A second later Sirius grabbed at the waistband of his jeans and boxers and pulled them both down over his hips before they fell to the floor. 

Sirius used both of his hands to grab onto Remus’ hips, but his eyes were predictably glued to the hardened cock right in front of him. He sighed exhaltantly as he moved one hand to the base, the other circling a thumb affectionately around the moon tattoo on Remus’ hip. When he slowly covered Remus’ cock with his mouth, he was rewarded with a heavy groan. He raised his eyes to look at the other man as his mouth took more of him in, always desperate to see the effect of it, and hummed softly as he began to pick up the pace. They stayed like this for a while, and when Remus got to the point where his hips began to thrust his cock deeper into Sirius’ mouth, Sirius slowed the pace back down as leisurely as they had started. 

“Ah,  _ fuck,  _ Sirius,” Remus cried as his hand landed on the top of Sirius’ head, fingers kneading roughly into his hair, “keep going.” 

It was exactly what Sirius had wanted to hear. But instead of speeding his mouth back up, he reached his free hand behind him and pulled Remus’ hand away from his head and sat back on his heels. His mouth slid completely off of Remus’ cock, and when Remus grabbed at his own hair in frustration, Sirius smiled up at him.

“Get on the bed,” he ordered. “I want you on your hands and knees, facing the headboard.” 

Sirius felt a wave of affection blossom inside of him when Remus’ eyes widened for a moment and he bit the inside of his lip. Without hesitation, he stepped out of his jeans and walked toward the bed. Sirius wanted to pay attention for this part, he really did, but instead of watching him get into position, he stood up to grab a couple of towels from the adjoining bathroom. Those weren’t his bedsheets after all. At least not yet. 

When he walked back into the bedroom he was greeted by the sight of Remus naked on the bed, in the position that he had been instructed to take; Remus’s knees were spread shoulder-length apart, his swollen cock was hanging heavily between his legs, and he was leaning forward on his forearms with his forehead resting on the mattress. He threw the towels onto the bed, pulled a small bottle of lube out of his back pocket, and took a moment to take off the rest of his clothes, watching Remus trying not to writhe in what he knew was frustration.

“I swear to God, Remus, seeing you like this will never get old,” Sirius reflected as he crawled onto the bed to kneel behind Remus. He planted one hand on the left side of Remus’ backside before leaning forward to kiss along his spine. He kneaded Remus firmly as his cock rubbed along the dry cleft of his arse, the friction drawing a moan out of both of them, and Sirius used his free hand to work open the bottle of lube and coat his right hand with it. 

Sirius sat upright again and slowly trailed his fingers from the middle of Remus’ spine down to his entrance, teasing him for one long moment before pushing two fingers in slowly. 

Remus gasped deeply at the intrusion and pushed his forehead more forcefully against the bed. Sirius smiled, thinking that Remus was probably biting at his lip in an attempt to stay quiet, a small way —the only thing that Remus could control, really — to deny Sirius some satisfaction as he continued moving his fingers inside of him in the way he knew Remus loved. 

And Sirius couldn’t get enough of it. He loved dragging it all out while Remus was teetering on the edge, completely at his mercy. It was something that Sirius had never realized that he wanted so much until he and Remus had started sleeping together. Much like everything else, it was always different — always better — with Remus. Sex wasn’t always like this, of course — Sirius wasn’t always so dominant — but this was a dynamic that they both had found so natural together. And there was something about the combination of trust and vulnerability involved in this type of sex that made it so tremendously intimate. 

“You had lube in your pocket?” Remus managed to huff before Sirius crooked his fingers hard and his words turned into a choke.

“I brought you to the new house that I bought,” Sirius responded evenly, barely thinking about his words as he became mesmerized by watching what was happening in front of him. “Of course this is what I had in mind.” He continued with his two fingers, pushing them in and out Remus, stretching him open, and his own breathing was heavy as he took in every sound and every twitch that Remus’ body made in reaction. 

“Sirius,” Remus’ whimper broke him out of his trance, and he reached back for the bottle of lube and coated his own cock with it.

Sirius grabbed Remus by the torso and draped himself lightly over his body, his lubed cock dragged back along Remus’ entrance as he moved one arm around him. Remus was still impossibly hard, and Sirius kissed along his shoulder as he wrapped a strong grip around his cock. Sirius used his thumb to collect the leaking precum, stroked firmly along his length, then he pushed his own cock fully into Remus with the same rhythm.

“Fuck, Sirius.  _ Fuck.” _ Remus growled as he arched his back up and his head lifted as he grabbed frantically at the pillow in front of him. Sirius pressed his fingers into Remus’ hip in response, using his hand to straighten his back a bit and quicken his thrusts. 

“I love having you like this, Remus,” Sirius repeated as his free hand moved back down to grab roughly at Remus’ arse and pull out slowly. “I love you so fucking much,” he said before thrusting forcefully back inside Remus, the combination of which brought a choked cry out of the other man.

They remained like this for a long while, Sirius wasn’t sure how long, he never was when they were both in the throes of it like this. Sirius changed the rhythm, slowing down and pulling Remus closer to him, before speeding back up just to hear how Remus would react. When Sirius felt Remus’ body start to shake, he sped up the rhythm of his hand until Remus came loudly, the convulsing muscles around his own cock bringing him right up to the edge as well. He pulled out quickly and came into the towel in his hand. 

“Fuck,” Sirius sighed loudly as he wiped the hand that had been underneath Remus off on the towel as well. When they were both sufficiently clean, given where they were, Remus turned to lie on his back, breathing heavily with his eyes closed. Sirius laid down next to him to regain his breath as well. 

A couple of minutes passed like that, both of them silent with only their shoulders touching. The sex had been incredible for both of them — Sirius knew Remus well enough, what he liked and disliked in particular, to be certain of that — but this was noticeably strange. They were usually wrapped up in each other afterwards, enjoying the aftereffects together. 

“Remus, is something wrong?” Sirius asked as he turned his head to look at the man next to him. Now that his mind had cleared out of his post-sex haze, he remembered how off Remus seemed when he first found out Sirius had bought the house.

“I’m just processing,” Remus said through another hard breath.

“This was all okay, wasn’t it?” Sirius motioned between the two of them, “You’re being a little weird right now, I just need to make sure.”

Remus moved his head to the side to look at Sirius. “Yes, of course. I would have stopped you if it wasn’t.” Remus paused and bit his lip for a moment, and Sirius waited nervously as Remus formulated what it was that he wanted to say. “You know you can always stay with me when you’re in town, right? For as long as you want.”

“I know,” Sirius answered sincerely as he laid a splayed hand onto Remus’ still heaving chest, and I hope we get to the point where we move in together someday, but I don’t want it to be because of convenience or because we just fall into it.” Sirius moved his hand up to Remus’ neck and back down along the side of his waist, tracing invisible shapes into his skin as he took a moment to collect his thoughts. “I think it’s healthier at this point in our relationship for me to have my own space and not be completely reliant on you. Don’t you think that’s better?” 

Remus moved the hand that was resting between their bodies up into Sirius’ hair and began massaging his scalp, and he nodded. “It’s weird to envision you being in Tahoe and not being with me at my house, I don’t like it,” Remus laughed quietly. “But you’re right, I guess it’s a smarter move than falling into something that could jeopardize our future together. I think that because our relationship started off so intensely, sometimes I forget that it’s still early for us.  So I can see that you want to be more thoughtful about it instead of thinking we are an exception to normal relationship rules. ”

“Yes, that’s it exactly. It takes so much of the pressure off and gives us a chance to build a normal relationship. We haven’t had the opportunity to do that yet,” Sirius said, still enjoying the gentle massage, “I don’t want to take advantage of your hospitality and risk any resentment building between us over something as avoidable as that. I want you to be my boyfriend, not my caretaker.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want that to become our dynamic either. I’m not sure that it ever would, but I suppose it’s smart to not even allow it to become a possibility.” Remus nodded in thought as Sirius took hold of his other hand and started playing with his fingers. 

“And this way, when we do make big decisions about our relationship, they will be deliberate and exciting and special.” Sirius met Remus’ eyes as he spoke, hoping that he was properly conveying his feelings for the other man and quelching any uncertainties that this surprise had brought out of him. It must have worked, because a second later Remus brought his hand up to rest on Sirius’ cheek and kissed him slowly, soundly, and Sirius could feel that it was one of those moments when their bodies could communicate more accurately than any words could.

“Is it just going to sit empty half the time while you’re in London though?” Remus pulled back a minute later to ask.

“No, that would be a big waste,” Sirius answered as his hand moved back down to fiddle with Remus’ hip bone, “I am going to rent it out while I’m away. I already have a management company lined up — they take care of most of the houses in this neighborhood since this is more of the ‘vacationing’ area. That’s another reason I liked it.”

“That’s good.” Remus closed his eyes and moved his hand down to caress along Sirius’ forearm. Sirius loved it, that gentle and loving touches always played such a big role in the serious discussions they shared. They could argue and disagree, which happened sometimes, but it didn’t change the love that they shared for each other, and those touches were always a basic, primal reminder of that. “I can understand that it sets a good foundation and puts us on more equal footing. I think it’s a great idea, I’m just adjusting to the surprise of it all I guess.”

“Yeah?” Sirius asked, bringing his hand up to kiss his wrist.

“Yeah,” Remus confirmed before he caught Sirius off guard and rolled over on top of him. Sirius’ wrist were in his hands and pinned above his head before he even comprehended what was happening. “But maybe next time we can talk about it first? Make these kinds of big decisions together?”

“I will make no promises of the sort,” Sirius turned his head away from Remus and playfully avoided his gaze for a moment before turning back to him. “I’m joking. Of course. Any real estate purchases from here on out will be a joint decision.”

“Thank you,” Remus sighed as he leaned his weight forward onto Sirius’ wrists and lowered himself down to plant a kiss on Sirius’ lips.

“But I’d agree to anything while you’re being forceful on top of me,” Sirius murmured against Remus’ mouth, “so you played it well. I had some other plans in the works for us, a villa in France, an apartment in Dubai, but not anymore.” Remus breathed out a laugh against his lips and continued kissing him softly before stopping abruptly.

“Hold on,” Remus pulled back but kept his hands attached to Sirius’ wrists. “Are people still living here?”

“I have no idea,” Sirius offered mildly.

Remus groaned, “This isn’t even your bed. We just defiled their bed. We are horrible people.” 

“Well, I bought it fully furnished, so it  _ will _ be my bed in 25 days?” Sirius said, hoping that would ease the idea of it. And apparently it did because Remus laughed softly again and released Sirius, shifting his body from a straddle to laying sideways against Sirius instead. “Alright then?”

“Yeah. I feel good about it now,” Remus confirmed, “I mean, about the whole thing, not so much about having sex in a bed that isn’t yours yet, even if it was incredible.”

“Thank you,” Sirius responded with far too much dignity.

“But yeah,” Remus said, laying a hand flat against Sirius’ chest. “I just wanted to make sure we are on the same page.”

Sirius shifted his head down so that his forehead rested against Remus’ and he could intercept Remus’ gaze. “We are definitely on the same page. You’re the best thing to happen to me since that time I catfished James when we were fifteen.”

“Wow, high praise,” Remus responded dryly, and Sirius was pleased to see that he was working a little too hard to suppress a grin. “And what?”

“I still have all of the text messages. I even got him to put on makeup and send ‘Odette’ a sexy selfie.” 

“Poor guy,” Remus laughed. “And obviously I will need to see all of those.” 

“Obviously,” Sirius echoed as he wrapped his arm around Remus, rested his hand on his arse, and squeezed him closer. 

“Do you have to train today?” he asked.

“Mhm,” Sirius murmured lazily, still enjoying the aftereffects of his orgasm and not feeling particularly motivated to swim that day. 

“But you’ll have to show me the rest of the house before we head back to my place.” Sirius hummed again in agreement and Remus was quiet for a moment before speaking again. “You’ll still stay over at my place a lot of nights, right? After the house closes?”

Sirius laughed softly at the question. He had no intention of seeing Remus any less, the townhouse was only a way to proactively take some potential strain off of their relationship — a way to free up Remus’ time so that he could pursue his own purpose that would keep him fulfilled, because Sirius never wanted to get in the way of that. But it certainly wasn’t going to stop Sirius from spending less time with the man who made him happier than he had been his entire life.

“As if I could stay away.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. There will be one more epilogue posted soon(ish) as well. I had originally planned two scenes in one epilogue, but this first section went so much longer than I had expected, so I thought I’d break them up instead. Plus, I didn’t want to drag out posting any longer! 
> 
> 2\. I have a lot of ideas for various scenes I’d like to write for these characters eventually. If you’re interested, I made this fic into a series so that there is a way to subscribe to any companion pieces I post in the future. 
> 
> 3\. Extra points if you can spot the Stepbrothers reference.


	17. Epilogue 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the massive word count makes up for how late this is :). Enjoy!

_Three Months Later, June…._

 

Remus walked through the arrivals area of Heathrow, feeling comfortable with the trip by now, but also a little on edge given the change in plans. Things had died down in the last couple months, with recent news stories taking the spotlight and the olympics dying out in the background. No, the media wasn’t much of a problem anymore. The problem, however, was one James Potter, the one who was stationed right outside of the entrance into baggage claim, a baby crying in his arms and a mountain of balloons behind him. And fantastic, a large sign in his free hand reading “LUPIN BRIGADE” in glittery letters.

“Oh christ,” Remus muttered under his breath, averting his eyes anywhere else and making a beeline to the right to catch his breath, gripping the straps of his backpack tightly in his hands. 

But it was too late. The loud proclamation of his full name from his left confirmed that Remus had been stupid to think that he could slip by James Potter without being noticed. And he was more stupid to think that James wouldn’t draw even more attention if Remus didn’t cooperate. What a fucking rookie mistake he had just made. Remus shook his head, took a deep breath, and made his way towards the sparkly pink and white balloons. And fantastic, there was one unicorn balloon in there as well. 

“Why?” Remus huffed when he stood in front of James, pressing his hands into his eyes as if that would provide him some sort of clarity. But this was James Potter, and he was an idiot for thinking it would be any different.

“Why what?” James asked sweetly as he bounced his crying son against his hip. 

“I’m questioning everything,” Remus muttered with a shake of his head. “Why a sign? Why balloons? And if there had to be balloons, why are they pink and sparkly? And why a unicorn? A dolphin I could begin to understand… but a unicor—”

“You’re Sirius’ unicorn Remus. I saw it and I had to have it,” James explained evenly, as if he were explaining the alphabet to Harry. “It’s not as if I chose the balloon. The balloon chose me. So take your issues up with her, pal,” he added with finger pointing up the balloon.

Remus shook his head, more of a weird shiver than anything else. “And speaking of Sirius, why would he do this to me? Why would he abandon his boyfriend duties and send _you_ in his place?” That was the real question. James was just being James, and it would be unfair to expect him to act otherwise at this point. It would be as unfair as setting a squirrel in front of a dog and expecting him not to chase it. Nature and all of that. 

“Remus,” James whispered, and his voice was chastising now, “keep your voice down. You’re making Harry cry if you haven’t noticed.”

Remus broke out into laughter. This was ridiculous and he might as well stop fighting it. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

“It’s good to see you James,” he started anew and went in for a side hug. “And hello Harry, please don’t cry.” 

“He’s very astute, Remus. A sponge. Takes in the emotions of those around him. As long as you stay pleasant, he will be an angel.”

“How convenient,” Remus muttered as he looked at Harry skeptically. But the kid did seem to be calming down, so maybe James was right. 

“How was your flight?” James asked as he nodded over to baggage claim. 

“Ah, no, I didn’t check a bag actually. Sirius brought all of my stuff with him when he flew in,” Remus answered his wordless question before continuing on to the other one. “And the flight was fine. I’m looking forward to a full eight hours in Sirius’ bed once I get to his place.”

“Down boy,” James threw out predictably, because he had to. Remus didn’t even blame him for it. “Grab your balloons and we’ll get out of here. Lily is circling the car around waiting.”

Remus blew out a gust of air and reached for the balloons. It was the least he could do after the two of them offered to pick him up, he supposed. Despite the discomfort of meeting an always-enthusiastic James Potter in arrivals, balloons at all, it was still preferable to taking the tube all the way to Belsize Park when he was this tired.

“Thanks so much, by the way,” Remus huffed as he kept his head down, a habit now when he traveled in airports. “For picking me up.” 

“You can thank Harry,” James remarked unthinkingly, “it was all his idea.” Remus didn’t know whether to laugh or whether he was going crazy. But he figured that most people felt that way around James, and that made him feel a bit better. “You’re lucky you’re his favorite swimmer you know.”

“Thank you, Harry,” Remus choked out awkwardly, and Harry smiled widely when he heard Remus speak his name. It was adorable, he had to admit. “But are you still going to love me when I stop showing up to swimming competitions? Or when I lose my swimmers body and turn into just a normal American dude who is dating your godfather?”

“Yikes, Rem,” James snorted in response as they walked through the automatic doors and into the pick-up area. Remus got pulled back as his fucking balloons got tangled up in somebody else’s luggage, and then cursed under his breath before jogging to catch up with James, who was looking back at him expectantly. “You may want to take that one up with your therapist or Sirius or something. I didn’t know you had those insecurities, but I doubt a baby can give you the reassurance that you’re looking for.”

Remus yelped out a laugh. “I have no idea how Lily deals with you. I never know what’s going on.”

James turned his head and met Remus’ eyes, and a lopsided smile was plastered on his face. He sent Remus a quick wink before proclaiming that he had spotted Lily over to the left, and that was that. The man was an enigma. A brilliant, frustrating, hilarious enigma.

Remus followed James over to Lily’s car, a small SUV that was ‘perfectly suited for a family,’ according to James. She jumped out immediately and pulled him into a hug as James worked to put Harry into his car seat in the back. 

“I’m so so sorry about the balloons,” she muttered apologetically into his ear as she took them from his hands and began to wrestle them into the backseat. “I tried. You have to believe me, Remus. I tried.”

“I believe you,” Remus assured her because, well, he knew James well enough by now.

“I have to pick my battles, you see,” she explained and Remus nodded solemnly because, yes, that made sense. “Did anybody recognize you?” she asked with apprehension, her face contorted in a way that hinted she was expecting the worst.

“Just a couple of people in the customs line. But they were quiet about it, thankfully. I took a couple of pictures with them and nobody else noticed because they were too busy scrolling through their phones. I’ve never been so grateful for smartphone addiction.”

“Thank God,” she agreed, pulling him in for another hug. She was perfect, there was something so wonderfully warm about her. And there was something about James too, even despite his quirks — or maybe because of them. Remus was lucky he had been pulled into their inner-circle so unquestioningly. “But the good news is that you are sitting in the front seat with me. James is going to be back there with Harry and the balloons.”

“Oh, alright,” Remus said with surprise. That would be nice.

“Yeah, you’re not getting baby duty. Or unicorn duty, I suppose. Not after that flight,” she continued as she made her way to the other side of the car and got back into the driver’s seat. Remus followed her lead and got into the car as well. 

“I already mentioned it to James, but thank you for picking me up,” Remus started as Lily merged into the traffic lane and began the slow slog out of the airport. “I was prepared to grab a cab or even just endure the tube when Sirius told me that he wouldn’t be able to make it.”

“Honeymoon phase is over,” Remus thought he heard James mutter from the back.

“What was that?” Remus asked politely.

“Gorgeous day outside!” James replied, voice louder now. “You really brought the sun with you, Remus. Such a peach. Always such a peach.” 

He was going to drive Remus insane, Remus was sure of it. But at least it would be an amusing journey getting there. 

“We were happy to,” Lily chimed in, her hand moving from the steering wheel over to Remus’ shoulder for a quick affectionate squeeze. “We’ve been looking forward to this. With Sirius training in Tahoe most of the time now, we don’t see you as much. And frankly, it’s nice to have this time with you while Sirius isn’t around. He and James have a tendency to take over, if you haven’t noticed.”

“And I would never want to come between the two of you,” Remus turned his neck to look back at James. It was said casually, but it was an important sentiment that he had been wanting to get across for a while. Best friends were important, regardless of romantic partners. 

“ _Remus,_ ” James drew out his name with exasperation, and he actually sounded a little breathless too, “don’t you know that I know that? Don’t you know that I have a sense about people and that I knew that this whole _Remus thing_ was destined from the start?”

“It’s true,” Lily confirmed, eyes on the road.

“I know your soul,” James continued. “I know your secrets. I see you. And I know you. But thank you for telling me anyway. It’s rather sweet.”

Remus didn’t know how to respond to that, and he eventually decided that it was best to just ignore completely. He was definitely too fatigued to fully comprehend whatever James had just proclaimed. 

“How is the wedding setup going then?” he decided to ask instead.

“Good, we think. Sirius seems a bit on edge because of it, but not as much as I would have expected, if that’s what you are really wondering about,” Lily answered with a quick glance over to Remus.

“Ah. I’ve noticed that too. But things are good?”

“It should run smoothly. Amanda has wanted to keep things pretty simple. The venue is quite glamorous, in a creepy way of course, but the setup is minimal. The wedding party is small. The reception and schedule is straight forward, plus she has been using a great wedding planner, so there shouldn’t be any emergencies the day of the wedding.”

“Great,” Remus sighed, realizing that the soft vibrations of the car were slowing threatening to lull him to sleep. If it had been Sirius driving, he would have taken the opportunity immediately. He searched for a topic that he knew would get James talking, and it wasn’t difficult to find the perfect one. “How’s Peter then? Have you been showing him the sights in London?” Remus asked before leaning his head against the window and closing his eyes. 

James immediately launched into various stories about the last week that had been spent with Peter. Per James’ request, Regulus had courteously extended a wedding invitation to Peter, which gave him a good excuse to take two weeks off work and travel to London. He had been staying with James and Lily the entire time and the fact that Remus had not even received a single text from him spoke volumes about how good of a time he had been having with the Potters. 

Remus was able to stay awake as James described their tour through the Tower of London, in which many hilarious pictures had apparently been taken, but by the time that James launched into a description of their trip to Stonehenge, Remus was out, somehow able to sleep in a moving vehicle, but never a plane.

Lily gently shook him awake however long later, and Remus slipped out of whatever shitty level of sleep he was experiencing feeling disoriented. James and Harry were quiet in the back, which was sweet, Remus noted, and Lily handed him the key to Sirius’ townhouse that he must have left with her in preparation of Remus’ arrival. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Remus opined as he moved to get out of the car, slinging his backpack over his shoulder awkwardly. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Lily answered incredulously. “Go, we will see you later when you are feeling more yourself. I know that Peter is dying for us all to be reunited when there is more space and no balloon arrangement taking up his spot in the car.”

“Speaking of, don’t forget your new friends,” James singsonged as he unsuccessfully attempted to thrust the hoard of balloons out the door. Remus reached in with a long sigh and tugged them out.

“I’ll see you soon then, when I’m human again,” Remus nodded with a warm smile. “Thanks again.” 

“Bye Uncle Remus!” James chimed from the back seat, waving Harry’s hand in parting, the boy ridiculously giggly now. And alright, that was adorable too. Remus laughed as he waved back and then shut the door and heading up the steps to Sirius’ front door. 

Lily made sure that he was inside before she drove off, leaving Remus all alone in Sirius’ home. He deposited the balloons in the entryway, decided that a quick shower was necessary before he passed out, and headed up to the master bedroom. 

Remus loved Sirius’ place. He loved the memories of his first visit to see Sirius in London, and he loved having such unfettered access to Sirius’ life, not to mention his entire heart. He stripped off his clothes and stood under the firm spray of warm water, letting himself release that long exhale of satisfaction that always came when he finally made it to his final destination. 

Sirius wouldn’t be home for a while, which worked well for both of them actually. Remus could sleep without guilt, and Sirius could continue to catch up on the training time that had been lost due to traveling back to London to be involved in his brother’s wedding. The man worked fucking hard, Remus saw it nearly every single day. 

Remus lathered up his hair with Sirius’ shampoo and enjoyed the scent as it surrounded him, relaxing him even further. He wondered if it would ever get old, the absolute delight of feeling this close to the other man. Probably not. Remus knew that his life would never be the same again. 

He shut the shower off and grabbed the fresh towel on the towel bar. Once he was sufficiently dried off, Remus didn’t even bother digging through Sirius’ drawers to find a clean pair of boxers or a t-shirt. He pulled the covers back on the bed, and fell right into them. It had only been about a week and a half since Sirius had left Tahoe for London. They’d gone much longer without seeing each other before. But as Remus drifted off back to sleep, the thought of his boyfriend being next to him when he woke up was one of the most wonderful feelings he had ever known.

 

*****

 

Remus woke up to a weight on his chest, and there was something wet as well. There was definitely something wet. Had he been dreaming about swimming again? That same dream that he always had where he had woken up with only five minutes to get to his next heat and _fuck he definitely wasn’t going to make it on time_? But then he remembered where he was, and the sensations began to make sense. 

Sirius’s head was resting at his sternum, his body situated comfortably between Remus’ legs, and his hand already stroking Remus’ completely hard cock. His hair was wet, just out of the shower, and his mouth was warm as it left a trail of kisses all along his chest.

“Sirius,” Remus breathed, half aware but the other half still in a different world. “What are you doing?”

“I found a completely naked gold medal Olympian in my bed,” Sirius kissed down his pelvis eagerly. “What do you think I’m doing?”

“Ah,” he closed his eyes again and just focused on breathing. “Good point. Carry on.”

Sirius laughed approvingly. And then he did carry on, his mouth not wasting anymore time before wrapping itself around Remus completely, like it had been doing nothing but waiting for this exact moment for the last week and a half. 

“I missed you,” Remus groaned freely, and the hum of Sirius’ mouth around his length intensified it all even more. This would be quick, Remus knew it. And he knew that Sirius knew it too. Sometimes they liked to drag it out. Sometimes they liked to make it a sort of game. But not this time. Remus’ hips bucked upward and Sirius groaned back, enjoying every second of it. 

Sirius’ hand bent Remus’ right leg up as his other moved between the cleft of his ass and stroked along his entrance playfully, his mouth still taking Remus deeply, with an enthusiastic focus. Remus’ hands moved to grab onto Sirius’ hair, rougher than usual — but the noise that came out of Sirius’ mouth signaled that he liked it — and Remus pushed Sirius’ head down hard in response, feeling desperate and on edge as every sensation piled on top of him.

Sirius’ finger kept stroking, rubbing, but never penetrating, and there would be _something_ to say about that when Remus regained his ability to form words. It felt a bit taboo and Remus was certain that it would send him over the edge even more quickly than had Sirius been fucking him relentlessly with his fingers.

He came in Sirius’ mouth a couple of minutes later, and even though Remus had just woken up from — he checked the time — a six hour 'nap', he felt lifeless. Sirius had a tendency to do that, and yet it was still mind-blowing every time. And then Sirius was kissing his way back up Remus’ body and settled in behind him, arms pulling Remus close against his chest. 

“Welcome back,” Sirius murmured behind his ear. He was hard against Remus’ ass, but there was no pressure to do anything about it. Remus needed a long moment anyway.

“You’ve killed me just now,” Remus muttered. “Give me a moment to come back to life please.”

“Take as long as you need,” Sirius said softly, and Remus closed his eyes again, not to fall back asleep, but more to enjoy the undeniable warmth of their reunion. “Sleep for the next day and a half if you want. You have absolutely nowhere to be until the rehearsal dinner.”

“That sounds good,” Remus responded hoarsely. “I’ll just be your lazy boyfriend who sleeps all of the time while you train.” He felt Sirius shake with light laughter behind him and he rolled onto his back now to look up at him. “I can’t believe I’m going to be in the same place as the rest of your family this week.”

Sirius took a long inhale, it was weary, but it wasn’t panicked. “It will be interesting.”

“I’m a bit terrified of it,” Remus admitted. It had been on his mind for the last couple of months, but he hadn’t really brought it up until this moment. They had seen each other a lot since Sirius’ condo in Tahoe had closed, but it hadn’t been the most quality time given Sirius’ hectic training schedule.

“ _You_ do not have to be terrified,” Sirius leaned down to kiss him and Remus hummed into it. 

“No, ‘terrified’ is the wrong word. They can’t do or say anything to me that would hurt me. I don’t really entertain the thoughts of people who I don’t respect. I suppose I am moreso terrified for you?”

“You shouldn’t be,” Sirius responded, and his brow was furrowed with concern now. “It shouldn’t even be a blip on your brain. I’ve never been happier and I’ve never needed them less.” 

Remus lifted his hand and brushed it into Sirius’ hair, his fingers scratching into his scalp softly. “That’s good to hear,” he sighed happily. His apprehension was still there, family ties ran deep, but it was reassuring that Sirius was in such a good place.

“So what do we need to do?” Remus asked, his tone sturdier now. “My trip to New York City kind of got in the way of us talking about the whole itinerary before you left.”

“Rehearsal dinner on Friday night,” Sirius started, a hand tracing along Remus’ collarbone. “Kind of uncomfortable because my parents will be there. But you know that James and Lily had some help in planning it, so I’m sure they will have it set up so that we aren’t at the same end of the table.”

“It’s so strange,” Remus’ face furrowed with confusion. He was never going to understand Sirius’ family. “Isn’t that strange? Why do they even want to be involved at this point?”

“I think you might be surprised by them, they come off very charming. Very happy on the surface, always putting on a charade. It’s always been behind the scenes that things are fucked up.” Sirius paused and planted a kiss on Remus’ shoulder. “That’s the biggest reason why I don’t feel too worried about it. They are not going to want a scene at something as public as their son’s wedding festivities.”

“That does make a little more sense, given what I know of them,” Remus mused, things clicking into place. Sirius’ family had been tolerant of his sexuality when it was under the radar, but it was the last straw once Sirius embraced it publicly. 

“And this is a big event for them. Their son’s wedding. Granted, Amanda isn’t who they had hoped Regulus would end up with, but hey, at least she’s a woman, right?” Sirius snorted softly. “The rehearsal dinner will be fine. My parents might even act like they are happy to see me. It’s when they get me alone that shit happens.”

“Well that’s not going to happen,” Remus said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Because it was. He wouldn’t let it happen.

Sirius nodded. “I am aware. Between you and James and Lily and Reg, I won’t have a moment to myself.”

Remus hummed and closed his eyes again. “And the wedding?”

“More of a risk since my extended family will be there,” Sirius responded, but without any dread in his voice.

“Lovely folks, can’t wait to meet them.”

“I hope you _don’t_ meet them,” Sirius laughed. “But that is wishful thinking, I think. What is it that they say? Prepare for the worst?”

“That’s right,” Remus muttered as he opened his eyes again. Sirius settled himself down, his shoulder against Remus’ armpit and he head lying on his chest. “So what is the worst that could happen?”

“Best case scenario is that they just ignore us because it is Reg’s wedding and that is the right thing to do. Worst case? A bunch of snide remarks directed at both you and me, which would could cause a scene given that James is there.”

“The man is massive. I’m glad to have him on our side.”

“Deceptive too. He comes off as a giant goof, but he would turn into the fucking Hulk if somebody did that to us. It’s scary when it happens, you can see the change in his eyes,” Sirius joked, but Remus wasn’t sure if it was actually a joke at all.

“And Peter, don’t forget Peter. He won’t have any of it either,” Remus mused, thinking about his best friend who didn’t look the most intimidating, but would give it his all anyway. 

“It would be a bloody mess,” Sirius chuckled. “I'd almost want to see it happen if it was taking place any other day. But fuck, I hope they don’t do that to Reg. He deserves a perfect wedding, you know?”

Remus dragged his fingers along Sirius’ bare back. “He knows it’s a risk though. So it won’t be your fault if it happens. He made the choice to invite everybody.”

“I think I’m still so grateful that he did choose to include me though, that he never saw me like my parents wanted him to. So fuck, if I have to take some nasty comments and snide remarks for him, that’s a small price to pay.” 

Remus exhaled thoughtfully, unsatisfied with what Sirius had just described. “That feels wrong though, it feels… off. You shouldn’t feel indebted to your brother for being a decent person. That’s not what he wants either.” 

Sirius kissed Remus on the sternum. “I’m working on it,” he replied.

“I know,” Remus sighed, and then they were quiet for a while as Remus reflected on the upcoming wedding. It wasn’t the ideal that he had always had in mind for meeting his boyfriend’s parents, especially when they were this serious. But there was no use going down that train of thought. So Remus reflected on the family of friends that Sirius had created outside of his biological family, and he couldn’t suppress a laugh as a particular thought popped into his mind. 

“What?” Sirius looked up at him with a smile.

“I can’t believe Peter somehow managed to infiltrate right on in there,” Remus laughed. “He’s a part of your chosen family now, you know that right?

“He stole James’ heart apparently,” Sirius admitted. “Trust me, I’m more surprised than you are with how all of that played out.”

Remus wrinkled his nose for a second and then laughed. “He’s going to grow on you too, just you wait. You don’t believe me now, but it’s going to happen. He’s going to say something that will catch you off guard eventually.”

“Sure, Remus, whatever you say,” Sirius shifted himself up to kiss at the dip in Remus’ collarbone and up his neck to his jawline. “I’m sure I’ve just been missing his charm this entire time. I’ve been blind to it, but I’ll see the light. Whatever you say.”

Remus breathed out a laugh. “I’m going to rub it in your face mercilessly when it happens.”

“I tolerate him because you love him. And now James loves him so I really have no other choice. Isn’t that enough?”

“Oh, it’s enough. It’s just not going to stay that way.”

Sirius snorted softly and shifted back onto his side, nudging at Remus to do the same, and when he did, Sirius pulled him roughly against his chest. His mouth left a line of kisses along Remus’ shoulder and his hands moved across the surface of his chest. They had been roughly the same physical size when they had first started dating, but Sirius was visibly larger now that his training program had been in full swing for six months and Remus’ had dwindled down to only an hour or two a day. Remus couldn’t say that he minded the difference. It was quite the opposite actually, and he could sense with certainty that Sirius felt the same. 

“We have a whole day to ourselves tomorrow though,” Sirius muttered as one of his hands moved to knead at Remus’ ass and his cock pushed against it too. “No James. No Peter. No Black family drama.”

“I have no idea what we will possibly do to fill all of that time,” Remus replied stoically as he reached to open the nightstand drawer to pull out a bottle of lube. He lifted it over his shoulder and Sirius took it from him as he continued kissing underneath Remus’ ear, his breath erratic was causing Remus to become aroused all over again. “London Eye? Buckingham Palace? Big Ben? You know I’m _dying_ to see the sights.”

“Are you really?” Sirius rasped with disbelief, a slickened finger moving against Remus’ entrance now, teasing him open.

Remus groaned and pushed back against Sirius’ hand, against his cock, and fuck it was wonderful to touch each other in Sirius’ bed, where Sirius had slept for years before he and Remus had even begun to get along at all. 

“No,” he huffed, and then Sirius pushed another finger in, crooked the two of them poignantly, and Remus knew that his ability for conversation had disintegrated for the moment. He let himself fall back into the feel of Sirius’ eager fingers and Sirius’ skin and Sirius’ perfect cock pushing inside of him, always gently enough but forceful at the same time, claiming him in every way that Remus needed him to. 

If flying to London his brother’s wedding was what would make Sirius happy, if that was his idea of showing Remus off to his family, then Remus would do it a thousand times over, no matter what discomfort would have to be endured.

 

*****

 

Their free day passed langorously and indulgently, for Remus at least. Sirius had woken up at 6am, and quietly left an unconscious Remus in blissful slumber as he headed to the pool for his daily workout. Remus woke up around 10 and used the couple of hours without Sirius to take care of some emails and make the world’s largest omelet. Once Sirius returned home, the rest of the day was a mixture of a long walk, movies in bed, and enjoying the time that they had to just catch up with each other in person. 

Friday rolled around and found Remus more adjusted to the time change than he had expected. He felt good enough to take a cab to meet Sirius at the pool around 9am and join in with his training for the last three hours. It was nice to participate a real training session, with Sirius swimming alongside him, and Remus made a mental note to involve himself in Sirius’ training more when they were both back in Tahoe. 

“That felt good,” Remus opined after he and Sirius had finished showering in the pool’s locker room. Sirius had taken his motorcycle that morning, and had thankfully brought his second helmet along with him, so they were able to ride back home together. “Can you imagine what it would have been like if we had been training partners? On the same team and everything?”

“No, never would have worked,” Sirius dismissed Remus’ thought immediately, and Remus scoffed that he wouldn’t even entertain the idea.

“It would have been fantastic,” he countered as he dried his hair of haphazardly with a towel.

“Would have been distracting and overwhelming. I would have combust and been even more of an asshole. Fucked it all up, no doubt in my mind. Would have been catastrophic,” Sirius continued nonchalantly.

Remus shook his head with a light laugh, “What I really mean to say is that whatever we had going on out there just now was great. If I had had _that_ when I was training, it would have added another dimension.”

“Catastrophic,” Sirius repeated, as if Remus had said nothing at all. “I am certain that this whole thing happened at the right time. And it wouldn’t have worked with us competing—”

“We only competed in two of the same events, and one of them was teams,” Remus explained, unsure of why he was needing to explain this at all.

Sirius moved over to him, he had put sweatpants on but now Remus was only standing there in his boxers, and wrapped his arms around Remus’ waist. He laid his forehead against Remus’, and Remus took that as a cue to kiss him, but Sirius pulled his mouth back when he did. 

“But now I can beat you in nearly everything,” Sirius muttered happily, squeezing Remus’ waist harder. 

“Oh my god,” Remus mumbled with amusement.

“And I know. I know what you’re thinking. You could still get me in backstroke, it’s your not-so-secret weapon. ‘No Sirius, you’ll never beat me ever, I’ll hold my skill at backstroke over you until the day we both die together, at the same time, a poetic love story for the ages.’”

“Uh huh, that’s exactly what I was about to say, you know me so well—”

“But you’re wrong,” Sirius added happily as he pressed a kiss to Remus’ cheek. “I’m going to beat you at _everything_ soon enough.”

“No shit,” Remus responded incredulously. It wasn’t the most difficult conclusion to arrive at when one of them was following an Olympic training schedule and the other was not. But Sirius hummed happily at the thought, and Remus laughed at how stupid it was. “And what is that about us dying at the same time? You’re sounding like Regulus now.”

“Nothing my angel, nothing at all,” Sirius gave him a light pat on the cheek before turning back to continue getting dressed. “And there’s nothing to worry about now that we don’t have to learn how to balance the romance and the competition.”

They headed back Sirius’ house after that, opting for a large late lunch before spending the next couple of hours in bed napping and also _not_ napping, enjoying the couple of free hours they had before heading over to the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. 

But that time passed quickly, and at 5:30pm a black town car arrived to pick them up and drive them over to Notting Hill. Sirius wore a black suit with a light purple button-up shirt and had they not just spent the afternoon in bed, Remus would have had a hard time leaving the house with him looking like that. It was the first time they had seen each other dressed up in more than swim trunks, athletic wear, or jeans, and the way that Sirius stopped in his tracks at the sight of Remus in his dark gray suit told him that the other man felt the exact same way. 

“We should find more reasons to do this sort of thing, preferably some that don’t involve my family,” Sirius suggested after they had both gotten into the car and Sirius’ hand landed on Remus’ knee. 

“It is different, isn’t it?” Remus smiled. “It’s like those ad campaigns come to life right before my eyes.”

“Apparently you need to be reminded what a fit piece of arse you’re dating every now and then, yeah?” Sirius grabbed hard at Remus’ knee and Remus yelped a pitch higher than he would have preferred. 

“I fucking hate that,” Remus gasped, never a fan of being tickled.

Sirius chuckled before he leaned over to kiss Remus in apology, but Remus stopped him with a palm in the face before he could get there. He pushed it in forcefully as Sirius laughed against it. 

“Are you feeling weird about it yet? Since we are about ten minutes away from seeing your parents? Has it sunk in?” Remus asked, because he just had to, after Sirius had sat back on his own side of the seat. 

“We’ll find out when we get there,” Sirius shrugged. “It’s for Reg though, so I am just focusing on that. And James will be there. Loud and perfect James.” 

“I know, I know. I’m just…” Remus shrugged and gestured his hands nonsensically, “I worry about it. So maybe if you are feeling like you need to get out, and I’m sure you won’t, but if you need to get out, just send me a signal okay? It will make me feel better if we have some sort of plan.”

Sirius laughed softly and shook his head, and then looked back up at Remus through a curtain of hair. “I love you. So much.”

“I love you too,” Remus answered simply, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Yes,” Sirius smiled at him. “I don’t think you understand that that has changed everything for me. We don’t need a signal, we don’t need a fallback plan. Maybe something will happen, but if it does, it won’t mean anything to me anymore. It’s all just white noise now.” 

Remus was quiet for a moment as he took in everything that Sirius had just said. It was significant, and he wanted to absorb it like it deserved. He nodded, eventually, before closing his eyes and laying his head on Sirius’ shoulder. 

They pulled up to the restaurant ten minutes later and Remus noted that they were right on time, only a couple of minutes early. He wouldn’t be surprised if that meant they were the last two to arrive, but that was fine. At least they weren’t late. 

“I’m starving,” Sirius announced happily when they had both gotten out of the car. “And I know they are going to have fantastic wine.”

Remus made a noise of acknowledgement as they walked into the building together. They were ushered until a large private room in the back after Sirius mentioned to the host that they were there for the Black/Byrne event and although a look of recognition flashed across the host’s face when the two of them walked in, Remus breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t make any sort of comment about it. The night was going well already.

A burst of loud conversation greeted them as they entered the private room, and Remus was immediately pulled into a hug by James, even before he could get a view of the room, and more importantly, who was in it. 

But then, as if James could read his mind, Remus heard a whisper in his ear, “In the back right corner.” His gaze immediately flickered to the right corner of the room and landed on a couple that Remus would recognize anywhere as Sirius’ parents. He had looked them up on the internet enough times, but also the resemblance was uncanny. Black hair, sharp faces, and just as Sirius had said, smiles that were louder than they were real.

James’ hand moved down and squeezed at his ass, causing Remus to jump and move his eyes back to him. 

“What the fuck?” Remus whispered with surprise, but without any annoyance.

“Don’t stare, Remus. It’s not polite,” James winked before moving over to greet Sirius, who was talking to Nym — who Remus had been introduced to the last time he had been in London — and looking completely unperturbed. 

The setting felt casual, Remus noted immediately, despite the dinner being held in one of the fanciest restaurants that he had ever entered. Everybody was dressed well, and most were standing and socializing with various sorts of alcohol in their hands. Remus decided to put away his fixation on Sirius’ parents for now and go find Regulus and Amanda. It was their night after all. 

It wasn’t difficult to decipher who in the room belonged to Amanda and who belonged to Regulus, particularly given how small the group was. Sirius had let him know that the wedding would be large, as the Blacks had a much larger say in who to invite to that, but the rehearsal dinner was just the small wedding party, best friends, and immediate family. Oh, and Peter of course. 

Seeing that Sirius was preoccupied with James, Remus went to say hello to Amanda, who was conveniently standing next to the wine with two people who Remus presumed must be her parents. 

“Remus!” Amanda greeted with a hug, looking absolutely stunning in a cream colored, and very sleek, floor length dress. “These are my parents, David and Mariah,” she said as she gestured to the two of them.

The beginning of the evening seemed to fly by, the biggest surprise being how genuinely accepting the entire group was, buzzing with excitement about the wedding the next day. By the time that everyone sat down for dinner, Remus had observed Orion and Walburga enough to know that Sirius had been right. They were extraordinarily appealing in front of a group, having jumped from group to group for the last hour, leaving a path of loud laughter along the way. He had nothing to worry about when they were surrounded by people.

“I told you,” Sirius whispered into his ear as they sat down to eat the first course of dinner that had just been brought out, reading Remus’ mind easily. 

“It’s like there has never been a single conflict between you all,” Remus muttered, and even just saying that fact aloud felt peculiar.

“Exactly. The Blacks have never had a problem with anyone ever. No confrontations, no arguments, everything is always perfect. Don’t you know?”

“It’s so strange,” Remus whispered again. “And it makes me deeply uncomfortable. I don’t want to be in the same room ever again.”

Sirius kissed him on the temple. “And that’s how I know that you are a healthy person,” he added before lifting up his fork and digging into the salad in front of him without a care in the world. 

“Regulus,” James’ voice boomed from across the table, and Remus looked up to see him stand up while holding his wine glass high and dramatically. Apparently an announcement was in order, and oddly enough, James was going to be the one to deliver it. “My little brother—”

“No,” Regulus cut him off easily before taking a long slow drink of wine, eyes laser-focused on James. Remus watched with amusement, and seeing James back down, slowly back into his chair like a shamed dog, was the comic relief that he needed. His shoulders shook with laughter as Regulus stood up instead. 

“Amanda and I would like to thank you all for being here tonight with us, it really means the world to us to have our families and closest friends celebrating in the same room together. I know that tomorrow will be full of speeches from many of you, and yes James, you will be allowed to speak for as long as you would like, but Amanda and I wanted to keep tonight intimate — just a couple of toasts from our parents. We’d like to use the rest of the night for everybody to get to know each other, since this is the group of people that Amanda and I love the most, and the group of people who we hope will support our marriage and make it a success. So again, thank you for being here, thank you for loving us, and we can’t wait to see you all tomorrow.” 

“Cheers!” Peter threw out enthusiastically, and he was met with thunderous agreement from James as everybody else clinked their glasses together happily.

The dinner passed by quickly after Regulus’ toast, with people around the table and retelling their favorite memories or either the bride or groom — and Remus’ favorite was undoubtedly listening in on David’s story about the time that a toddler-aged Amanda caught her first fish and insisted on carrying it around in a towel like a baby in a blanket, mortifying all the adults when they bent down to greet the cute little blue-eyed girl.

The oddest turn for Remus, predictably, was the stories that Walburga and Orion told, which both included the most delightful retellings of events from Regulus’ childhood. Retellings that made them appear to be the most involved and supportive parents possible, which Remus had on good authority was far from reality. 

Walburga spoke of how proud she had been when Regulus made it to the national competition for debate in secondary school, how she knew he would be the family’s greatest success at that very moment — a not-so-subtle dig that Sirius probably had expected, but the audacity pulled an eyeroll out of Remus all the same. Orion supplemented that with the story of what an angelic child Regulus had always been — obedient and brilliant, loyal to his family — ending with a well-received joke that he hoped that his grandchildren would turn out like that as well, and how could they not with a good woman like Amanda.

“Goddamn,” Remus whispered with annoyance into Sirius’ ear once everybody went back to eating when the third course of the dinner was brought out to them. 

Sirius laughed brightly, and Remus caught the Blacks looking over at him, each with some sort of look that didn’t match the previous tone of their toats. “That’s how they want you to feel, babe.” His voice was quieter now while he was speaking, but he was still smiling. “Of course they made some soft digs at me. But don’t you know how fucking crazy it makes them that I don’t care? That I don’t need them? That’s all they’ve ever wanted, that control. It’s rather fun for me to watch now that I understand it.”

“It is quite pathetic when you put it like that,” Remus muttered.

“Quite,” Sirius mumbled into Remus’ neck, and whether the display was completely genuine or for a little bit of a show, Remus didn’t care at all. 

The night carried on like that, with delicious food and even a bit of an unwanted tipsy serenade by James and Peter — had they choreographed it before that night? Their decent harmony while singing Islands in the Stream told Remus that they had, but who knew really. Remus relaxed into it as it was becoming easier and easier to enjoy the night for everything that it was. 

“Are you ready for your speech tomorrow?” Remus asked after they had said their goodbyes to the bride and groom and headed out of the restaurant to the car that was waiting to take them back home. 

“I’m very ready,” Sirius answered happily as he opened the door and allowed Remus to get in before he moved around to the other side. “You know I’ve been working on it for months.”

“I do,” Remus sighed as he took Sirius’ hand in his own and leaned against Sirius’ shoulder as the car began to move. “You’re going to be great.”

“I do love a good crowd, Remus,” Sirius claimed.

Remus hummed for a moment and then paused for another. “Even though a good chunk of it is your family?” Remus inquired, the skeptic in him winning out.

“We’ve been over this. That makes it even better,” Sirius affirmed easily.

“That’s right,” Remus laughed. “You’re incredible, you know? You’re so fucking strong, handling it like you do.”

Sirius cocked his head to the side, a smile climbing up the corner of his mouth. “It was all because of that blow job you gave me before we left for dinner. Put me in the right mindset. I’d say that you owe all that credit to yourself.”

“Oh fuck off,” Remus laughed, pushing at Sirius’ shoulder before relaxing back into his seat again, looking deep in thought.

“I’m serious! I like it when you get all dominant on me. I can’t say that there are many better things in life,” Sirius proclaimed. “It fills my soul. Your mouth is my life force.”

“Mhm,” Remus laughed, wondering what their driver must be thinking right now. But it didn’t matter that much, and he leaned his head back against the seat to rest his eyes, letting the night fully sink in. 

“What are you thinking about?” Sirius eventually asked.

“Just… why do you think Regulus puts up with them?” Remus asked.

“I can’t really answer that…” Sirius started, and Remus could tell that he had thought about it before, “but I try not to let it bother me too much. I know they have some sort of love for him, whatever that means. He probably feels it for them in some ways too. It was always easier with him. He just fit.”

“Doesn’t it bother you?” Remus asked.

“That Regulus includes them?” Sirius clarified.

“Yes,” Remus answered.

Sirius was quiet for a moment. “I think there is something about coming from rock bottom, from feeling so completely miserable, that makes it…” Sirius paused for a bit, thinking, and then continued on assuredly. “No, it really doesn’t bother me. I let go of it. I’m happy now. I think it has to do with being grateful for what I have, knowing that I don’t feel like I used to.”

Remus turned his head to look at Sirius. “You’re quite insightful, you know that?”

“Nah,” Sirius winked at him.

“You are,” Remus repeated. “What you just said, I know that feeling. I was so upset after my dad passed. I went through such a dark time but it taught me to appreciate the highs while I have them. I learned to appreciate happiness more when I started to re-emerge from that.”

Sirius nodded. “That’s why I’m not going to get riled up about Regulus. Do I wish I never had to be in the same room as my parents as they put on that infamous Black family charade that I’ve hated from the time I was bloody born? Fucking hell I do. Am I happy that I have a good relationship with my brother though? I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

“Yeah,” Remus breathed as he shifted his body over a bit and placed his hands on Sirius’ thigh. And then he kissed Sirius firmly. “You have you choose your battles.”

“ _Remus_ ,” Sirius spoke with exasperation, but his hands moved to clamp down on Remus’ wrists, “there’s somebody else in the car with us. Can you really not keep your hands to yourself for five more minutes?”

Remus smiled slowly. “Shut the fuck up,” he whispered against Sirius’ mouth, swiping his tongue along the crease of it as Sirius smiled even wider. 

“Make me,” Sirius responded with challenge, his mouth moving to Remus’ jawline and up to his ear, lips forming more words now. “Remember when you punched me in the face,” he whispered with joy, hands still firmly grasped around Remus’ wrists.

“Oh my god,” Remus froze for a second and then his head fell back in laughter. “When are you going to stop bringing that up?”

“Never,” Sirius replied simply. “It’s bloody hilarious.”

“It’s really not.”

“Oh, it is Remus. They are going to make movies about us one day. The most perfect love story ever told.”

“I hope not,” Remus laughed through his nose. “But it is quite the story, I’ll give you that.”

“Yeah,” Sirius nodded into Remus’ neck, and Remus could feel the grin that remained on his face. “And look at us now,” he added with another kiss.

Remus turned his neck to push a kiss onto Sirius’ head, taking the opportunity to inhale his familiar scent, like he always did whenever he had the chance. Because Sirius was right, this was something that was easy to appreciate. And despite the rocky beginning, it had been effortless ever since that night at the bonfire. It had been unexpected, particularly for Remus, from the very beginning, and something about that made it even more significant.

 

*****

 

Sirius woke up early again the day of Regulus’ wedding. He needed to get another swim in so that he could enjoy the wedding that night — meaning that he could fully get drunk at his brother’s wedding and have the ability to take a well-deserved day off the following day in anticipation of the inevitable hangover. And everything about that scenario sounded perfect to both of them.

Remus woke up a couple of hours later and joined Sirius again for the last two hours of his session, and the day seemed to fly by after that. They got home around 2pm and decided to relax for an hour before they had to start getting dressed, eventually heading to the cathedral at four o’clock.

“I can’t say I expected anything else,” Remus admired as he took in the venue. They had just arrived.

“St Dunston-in-the-East,” Sirius supplied helpfully, as if Remus didn’t already know. He had seen the name of it on the invitation on Sirius’ refrigerator in Tahoe a dozen times.

“It’s gorgeous and eerie,” Remus mused at the dilapidated structure. “So very _Amandulous_.”

Sirius nodded happily. “Do you think they were googling wedding venues one afternoon and said ‘oh! A gorgeous cathedral that was bombed in the Blitz of 1941. Perfect!’”

“I think that’s exactly how it went,” Remus confirmed as he admired the contrast of the ruins of a cathedral with the modern buildings it was surrounded by. “But I must say, the way they turned it into a garden is stunning.” 

“It was severely damaged in the Great Fire of London too. In 1666. But they patched it up a couple years later. Old girl has been through a lot.”

“So people must have died in there then,” Remus concluded.

“Undoubtedly. The basis of its appeal, I’m sure,” Sirius answered happily. 

“Right, of course, it’s all so clear,” Remus muttered. “Romantic.”

“But actually,” Sirius started, this time his voice more sincere and Remus was excited to hear whatever he was about to say, “in a way it is. It’s tucked away here like a secret garden, surrounded by all these chrome structures that have been built up around it. Kind of broken, but kind of not. It’s a poignant living memorial to the horrors of the Blitz and a testament to the resilience of the city that survived it.”

“That’s rather beautiful, Sirius.” Remus acknowledged and Sirius hummed thoughtfully. “Plus, ghosts and shit.”

Sirius laughed quietly for a moment before speaking again. “Don’t worry Remus,” he said offhandedly as he walked through the archway to where they would be meeting the rest of the party, “ours won’t be like this.”

“Yeah,” Remus responded automatically as he began to follow in Sirius’ direction, and then froze when he comprehended the words. “Wait, what?”

“Are you coming?” Sirius proffered.

“I thought you said—“ Remus started quickly.

“ _Come on,_ Remus,” Sirius exclaimed with exasperation as he looked back innocently. “I’ve got Best Man duties to attend to. You don’t want to ruin their entire wedding day do you?”

“I hardly think that I possess that amount of power,” Remus grumbled with confusion, moving towards Sirius once more. He caught up a moment later and they walked through the gardens together — the gray hues of the church ruins in contrast to all of the dark green overgrowth of trees and ivy around it. The scene was truly beautiful, and only a touch eerie, surprisingly. It made sense, Remus thought, why the city left it like this, a tribute to what it was and what it had endured — turning into something different, unintended, but still beautiful all the same. 

“A lake, Remus.” Sirius’ voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he had no idea what the man was talking about now. “A lake and gigantic trees and nothing but nature in every direction. Because that’s who you are.”

Remus looked at him questioningly. “What are you even talking about?”

“Nothing,” Sirius pulled him closer, which was a bit awkward since they were still walking to the meeting spot, but somehow they managed to make it work. He kissed Remus on the temple and squeezed at his waist. “Just ignore me.” 

Remus opened his mouth to respond, to push harder because he felt like he was missing something, but was interrupted by the sight of Regulus in front of them. And then he called them over because apparently they were almost late and pictures needed to be taken. Regulus was the picture of serenity, of happiness. And fuck, that was nice to see and Remus barely knew the man at all. 

The wedding transpired smoothly, and Remus felt lucky to be able to witness it all from the audience, sitting in one of the chairs out in the center of the gardens next to Peter, James and Lily. The ceremony was set up inside of a round patio in the center of the remaining structure, an altar covered in more greenery the focal point. Only Sirius and Amanda’s best friend were standing at the altar with them. A small wedding party. The beauty of it all truly took center stage apart from anything else — from the family members that Remus had worried about for months, from the fact that Sirius’ parents were sitting in the front row, only about ten feet away from Sirius, from any anxiety that Remus had about Sirius falling back into whatever dark place he had been in before they had ever met.

And then they were married. Amanda in a romantic white dress with long lace sleeves and a fitted bodice, her dark hair falling in tendrils around her shoulder, a long veil spanning the length of her dress. And Regulus in a slim black tuxedo, the clearest picture of elegance that Remus had ever seen — stunning in his own way, but simplistic, letting Amanda shine in the spotlight all while complementing her perfectly.

“You know what this means now?” James Potter whispered into Remus’ ear as Regulus and Amanda walked down the aisle, this time as husband and wife, to the sound of a string quartet. But of course Remus’ eyes were locked on his boyfriend, wearing a tuxedo similar to Regulus’, smiling brightly, and Remus knew what it all meant to him.

“What’s that?”

“Two words, dolphin. _Open bar_   _Inebriated Potter. Hot wife. Wicked dancing._ Like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Put it together, dolphin.”

“Oh boy,” Remus smiled, not bothering to correct the whole ‘two words’ claim. “Yeah, I think I can ‘put it together.’”

“Scratch that. Three words. _Daddy’s night out._ ”

“He’s been talking about it for weeks,” Lily leaned over to offer some context. “Been dying to put some of his _creative_ dance moves to use in front of an audience who is not… used to such sights, shall we say?”

“Stuffy gits,” James elaborated with a smile and oh boy, there was so much potential for the night ahead. But then Remus was distracted by Sirius walking back down the aisle — it was nearly criminal how good he looked — and then he shot Remus a wink and Remus almost felt embarrassed by how much his heart fluttered. 

“Christ,” James continued, and Remus’ face felt a little hot for how obvious he had just been.

“It’s all the time,” Peter threw in for the hell of it. 

“Right, but it’ll be great, Pete. Think of the spectacle it will be at the reception. They are mushy enough in normal life—”

“James you’ve barely even been around us—”

“—imagine how they are at a _wedding_ , the sappiest, most romantic occasion possible,” James concluded, punctuating the entire statement with gagging sounds that were all in all, completely unnecessary.

“I love it,” Lily added sweetly.

“Oh don’t get me wrong, flower, I’m excited, I welcome it, I will celebrate it,” James waxed on without a care in the world. “Having Sirius and his boyfriend all over each other as his entire family watches while been warned not to do anything about it? I cannot fucking wait.”

Remus groaned at that reminder, not exactly appreciating the pressure of it all. “Thanks, James. I’m glad it brings you some joy.”

James shrugged with a grin. “I love chaos, I love watching it and I love creating it. It’s what Lily loves best about me.”

“It’s true,” Lily deadpanned, “I love it when my house looks like a tornado came through and it’s due to my nearly 30-year-old husband instead of my 10-month-old son. Every woman’s dream, Remus, don’t you know?”

Their conversation continued like that for the next hour as the four of them made their way to the reception hall a couple of miles away while Sirius had to stick around for more pictures. A part of Remus worried about leaving Sirius with his parents, but Regulus was there and Amanda’s family was there, so he figured it would be fine. Additionally, Sirius didn’t want him to worry, and Remus was learning to take his word for things on the topic of his family. Sirius had it covered. 

Nonetheless, there was something strange about witnessing such a divide in relationships at an occasion as joyous as a wedding. A celebration of love surrounded by family dysfunction — hidden resentment and unspoken words — felt foreign to Remus. Unnatural and unnecessary, something that Remus had never experienced in his own family. And he was lucky for that, he realized now. But Amanda’s extended family was wonderfully interactive, and that helped to take away from whatever tension was lingering in the air. 

“Have you been surviving alright without me?” Sirius asked as he greeted Remus with a kiss after the wedding party had made its entrance into the reception.

“Mhm,” Remus responded against his lips. “Just been people-watching really. How did pictures go?”

“Weird,” he answered immediately.

“Yeah? How come?”

“We’re not really a family are we? Standing next to my parents with Regulus and Amanda, letting a picture depict something that isn’t true? It didn’t feel good.”

“No,” Remus commiserated. “I hate it.”

“It was fine when Amanda’s family was in the picture too. But I’m glad it’s over, and now I’m with my real family,” he gestured around the table, his hand coming to rest on Remus’ knee below the table. 

“Yes, that is good, isn’t it?” Remus smiled back as he reached for his glass of wine. 

Sirius nodded and took a drink of his own. “I’m sorry I abandoned you with these clowns,” he joked as he squeezed at Remus’ knee and nodded around the table, “but tell me what you think of my family so far. I need a healthy dose of Remus observations before I have to get up and give my Best Man speech in front of them all.”

Remus laughed through his nose, collecting his thoughts so that he could hopefully present them in a way that Sirius would appreciate. 

“Well it’s pretty easy to tell who is a relative of Amanda and who is a relative of Regulus,” he started.

“And how is that?” Sirius leaned forward on his forearm that was resting on the table, already enraptured by whatever Remus was going to say. 

“The way they walk, I think? Shoulders too far back with noses in the air? Were y’all taught that posture or is it just genetic? Even Regulus has a hint of it.”

Sirius nearly choked with laughter as he took another drink. “You’re so fucking right. I don’t walk like that do I?”

“ _No_ ,” Remus answered in a millisecond. “God no.”

“Like their eyesight is aimed above everyone else’s head,”

“Yes. And that one over there,” Remus pointed to the woman with wildly long black hair wearing a dark sapphire gown with black lace detailing. 

“Bellatrix, she is my cousin.”

“Right. I think I may have met her before?” Remus mentioned sincerely, peaking Sirius’ interest. And then a beat later, “In my nightmares?”

Sirius threw his head back in laughter, and then Remus did too. 

“No, really Sirius, I remember it vividly now. I thought it was gollum at the time, but no. Now I realize that it was your cousin Bellatrix this entire time. Haunting my innocent six-year-old brain.”

“I love you so fucking much,” Sirius managed to articulate before he put one hand on the back of Remus’ neck to pull him in closer for a kiss that Remus reciprocated happily. 

“You look incredible tonight,” Remus mumbled after they pulled back in response to an inappropriately loud cough from James on their right. Sirius’ other hand moved further up Remus’ thigh.

“Does that mean that you’ll dance with me later?” he squeezed and Remus fought the urge to jump, it would give him far too much satisfaction.

“Yes, but only because you’re in a tuxedo,” Remus quipped.

Sirius smiled. “It would be rude after all, to turn me down. Given the tuxedo and all.”

“Any man is powerless to that tuxedo, Remus,” James piped in and Remus had no idea how he had even been following their conversation due to the noise level of the entire room. But apparently the man had the hearing of a bat. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, no sane man could turn him down.”

Remus blinked, and then laughed into his hands for a minute before looking back up at Sirius. “I can’t wait,” he answered — which was met with far too many woo-ing sounds from the other side of the table — and a moment later, dinner plates started to be brought out by the wait staff. 

Conversation at the table mostly revolved around James’ plans for the dance floor that night, in which he crucially negotiated with a very nonchalant Lily about how much time would be spent debuting new dance moves with Peter (roughly 30 percent) versus how much time would be devoted to ‘romantic dancing’ with Lily (roughly 60 percent), which left 10 percent for what he deemed to be ‘the unknowable, Lily, the unexpected, it’s a wedding, you never know what’s going to happen’. Remus laughed along with it all, happy to be included in this oddly perfect group, until Sirius had to leave the table to begin the toasts for the newly married couple.

Remus sat back as Sirius took the microphone from the master of ceremonies. He was definitely tipsy at this point, and he sat back with excited anticipation to watch Sirius deliver the speech that he’d been working on for months.

“I’d like to start by thanking David and Mariah for raising such a wonderful young woman,” Sirius paused to gesture at Amanda as the entire room erupted in happy applause and excited shouts of various sorts. Then Sirius turned his gaze to his own parents, the same relaxed smile still plastered on his face. “And Walburga and Orion, I’d like to thank you for trying. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. But luckily for you, this peculiar mess,” he motioned in the direction of Regulus and waited for the laughter to settle down, “this lovable oddball, is not your problem anymore. That’s where Amanda, this beautiful, brilliant, delightfully hilarious woman, comes in now.”

Sirius’ speech continued, his naturally luminous presence amplified by a thousand when in front of a large audience, and Sirius kept them laughing the entire time. Stories of Regulus’ childhood — stories that Remus wouldn’t have been sure that Regulus wanted shared with the entire room if it weren’t for the smile on his face — were easy crowd-pleasers, grabbing the audience from the start, and eventually he segued into bringing Amanda back into the speech as well.

“The first time I spent any real time with Amanda was when the two of them vacationed on the coast of Spain last summer and invited me to come visit for a long weekend. Of course I said yes, I wasn’t even sure if Amanda was real at that point Not to mention, I had never even seen Regulus out in the sun before — so I had to fly out to Spain to invalidate my lifesong suspicion that my little brother was actually a vampire.’ 

“And that trip was the first time that I really got to know Amanda, the first time I got to know any girl that had ever caught Regulus’ attention, actually. So I knew that meant something from the start. During the entire trip she was incredible, dragging us out of the resort to explore the city and insisting that she learn everything about me. And then I will never forget the moment that I too fell in love with Amanda Byrne. I was in the pool, doing some basic exercises, out of habit more than anything, when Amanda finished the frozen drink she’d been drinking and a moment later announced, ‘Oh _cabana_ _boy_! Another one please, and make it snappy this time.’”

Sirius waited a moment as the room laughed, the image too hysterical to ignore, and then continued on again once everybody had quieted down.

“And audience, I didn’t realize that watching my stoic detached little brother — who was in fact out existing in the sun without bursting into flames — act as a cabana boy, getting his arse slapped by his girlfriend as she ordered him around, was the image that would nearly complete my entire life. Not only because it was hilarious — and it was hilarious, I promise you that — but because it showed me how a great relationship should look. Respect and attraction mixed with a whole lot of humor, even if it was the type of humor that only the two of them understood. 

“It was obvious to me at that moment that Regulus had met his perfect match. The woman who understood him, loved him for his brilliance — odd quirks and all — and brought out this new side of him too. You both gave me something to strive for, and that is more valuable than every race I have ever won, and ever medal ceremony that I have ever stood through. I was thrilled for you then Reg, and I am thrilled for you now. 

“Amanda, Regulus, you know that I love you both. The familial support that you two have provided me — support that I never even had to ask for, but that you intuitively knew that I needed anyway — is one of the greatest gifts I will be given my entire life. And I will be here for you, in any way that you need it, at any time. I don’t have that otherworldly sense that the two of you seem to possess  — I usually have to verbally communicate with a person to know what they need from me instead of staring into their eyes and pulling it directly from their souls — so you may need to spell it out for me. But whatever it is, I’ll be here to make your marriage and your family the greatest success that it can be. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Black. 

“And to everyone else, thank you for supporting my brother and his gorgeous new wife. When Regulus passes you tonight on the dance floor, make sure to give him a firm swap to the arse, address him as ‘ _cabana boy_ ,’ and demand that he bring you another bloody glass of champagne. Cheers!”

“ _CHEERS!_ ” Sirius’ toast was met with gusto from around the room, and Remus’ eyes finally left him to take it all in. 

Amanda’s family was full of smiles and laughter. The picture of genuinity, Remus thought, and it was apparent that Regulus had married into a fantastic group of people. The Blacks, on the other hand, had smiles on their faces — smiles that were just as large and laughter that was just as loud as the Byrnes groups’ — but something about them sent a shiver up Remus’ spine, and again, he wanted to run away from the entire lot of them. He didn’t have an explanation for it, it was simply an instinct.

“Good?” Sirius asked as he sat back down and Amanda’s best friend started on the mic. 

“Fucking perfect,” Remus smiled at him before the waiter came by and poured them all another glass of wine.

“I recorded it Sirius, it was sublime,” Lily whispered to him before turning her attention back to the Maid of Honor. 

The 18th variation of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini filled the room after all of the toasts had been given and Amanda and Regulus took to the dance floor for their first dance. The sway of Amanda’s dress with each turn fit perfectly with the explosion of the orchestra and the piano at the piece’s climax, and the sensory overload of it had the entire room quiet. Weddings were always beautiful, but there was something special about this one, and Remus couldn’t deny that it had something to do with more than just the bride and groom. 

Remus was pulled out of the trance that he was sure everybody in the room had been sucked into when Sirius laid his head on top of Remus’ shoulder. Remus planted a kiss on the top of his head while still watching as Regulus lead Amanda into a small twirl as their first dance ended.

“That was different,” Remus remarked as the MC went into another announcement and the music immediately turned far more upbeat. “And stunningly beautiful, of course.”

“It was a good choice,” Sirius affirmed contentedly.

“You two coming?” James asked as he and Peter stood up and turned in the direction of the dance floor as Remus recognized the song as Steve Winwood’s Higher Love. “We are about to debut a couple of moves you are not going to miss. The Thunder Storm, for one. The Shrimp Hands.” 

“The Fidget Spinner.”

“And a few legal themed ones just for our groom out there. The Objection. The _Actus Reus_. The Adverse Possession, where if I simply dance with somebody else’s partner for long enough, they legally become _my_ partner.”

“Oh please do that with one of my cousins,” Sirius suggested with enthusiasm.

“Who do you think I created it for, brother?” James smirked. 

Sirius burst out laughing with pure enjoyment, and James grinned widely in response. “We’ll head out there in a couple of minutes, but go forth, gentlemen,” Sirius said. “Go forth and stun us with your creative and sexy dance moves, I’m truly looking forward to Shrimp Hands in particular.”

And with that, James sent the two of them a very formal salute, and once Peter saw the gesture, he mimicked it precisely.

“And I’m going to head to the chocolate fountain,” Lily offered. “As I watch my husband attempt to adversely possess a person, I think it sounds like the perfect treat for the occasion.”

“Okay Lily, and save me a dance later, alright?” Remus asked as she left. She turned around and blew him a quick kiss in confirmation.

Remus turned back as Sirius was refilling his glass of wine, was it his fourth now? At least. But they didn’t do this often and Remus always enjoyed letting loose with Sirius for how happy it made him. Plus, Remus couldn’t deny that he was enjoying the build up to what he knew would be sweet, lazy, drunken sex that night, punctuated further by finally awakening in each others’ arms the next morning.

“Well, this is rather cute, isn’t it?” An unfamiliar sharp feminine voice spoke to them from across the table.

And oh, there she was, wicked hair and all. It was happening.

“I don’t know Bellatrix, is it?” Sirius shot her an empty smile. “I would like to agree with you, but we’ve never agreed in our lives, so forgive me for being hesitant.”

“Are you going to introduce us?” she leaned forward eagerly, eyes drilled into Remus.

“No need,” Sirius waved. “He already knows who you are. And _everybody_ knows who he is, so I think that we can skip the introductions.”

“Does it bother you?” she drawled, undeterred.

Sirius raised his eyebrows, but it was clear he was uninterested. “No.”

Bellatrix grinned widely in response, and it looked completely canine. “You should hear the things your mother says about you. _And_ your father. He was always quieter wasn’t he? Kind of stood on the sidelines when it came to you, let your mother take care of it all? Not so much anymore.”

Sirius took a drink of his wine. “Good for him. It’d be nice to see him grow a pair.”

“You tried so hard to gain their approval…” her voice was higher now, singsongy and mocking, “but you’re still an embarrassment to them. I mean you always have been right? Not even all of the gold medal in the world could make up for the fact that you’re a disgust—”

“Bellatrix, _my precious_ cousin—”

Remus spit out his wine into his napkin as he burst into full-on laughter. Bellatrix glared at him because, oh, she didn’t like that.

“—as endearing as this conversation is, and trust me, it is always refreshing to see what a trainwreck you are — you never disappoint, truly, _my precious,”_ Sirius paused to send a still-laughing Remus a smile and then turned back to his cousin with a sigh, “it just doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. There is nothing to be gained for either of us right now. It is a complete and utter waste of energy.”

But Bellatrix sat there unphased, leaning back into the chair that had been James only minutes prior. She picked up an empty champagne glass and started to fill it from the bottle that sat on the center of the table.

“But all of that will fade,” she continued, but some of her gusto was gone, “you’ll be washed up one day, not knowing what to do with yourself when you can’t drown whatever inferiority complex you have in swimming laps for eight hours every day.”

“Sometimes it’s only six hours, Bellatrix, please get your facts right, yes?”

She waved between the two of them and took a sip of champagne. “And this will end, this thing with the American—”

“I’m not going to engage with you, Bellatrix. Not now, not ever. You can sit there and keep talking at me and that’s fine, but you’ll have to do it while you watch me make out with my sinfully arousing boyfriend—”

“Who will undoubtedly begin begging your cousin to fuck him as soon as possible given how tipsy he is,” Remus threw in pleasantly with a hand moving to rest on Sirius’ shoulder. “It’s inevitable, you see, because he’s quite great at it. Good genes you have, if nothing else.”

Sirius turned to smile at Remus and leaned forward to rest his forehead against Remus’ and everything else tuned out again. “My own. My love. My own. My precious.”

Remus laughed into the kiss and it became far too sloppy, lips and tongues and teeth meshing together, undoubtedly alcohol-induced in some part and vindictive in another. But as always, no matter how terrible their form was this time, they were in their own world and the white noise around them did not matter in the least. And then Moon River began to play through the speakers and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. 

“Let’s go,” Remus whispered into Sirius’ mouth and they both scrambled up to stand. But Remus looked over to the other side of the table before turning to the dance floor, “It was nice to meet you, Bellatrix. Such a pleasure, we swears it.”

Whatever her response may have been was stifled by a bark of laughter from Sirius who had grabbed him by the wrist and was pulling him to the middle of the room. They found an open spot on the dancefloor, despite how crowded it was, and Sirius pulled Remus closer, placing one hand on his lower back and the other on his shoulder. Remus mirrored him, and they began to move lightly with the rhythm of the song.

“See? It wasn’t that bad,” Sirius rubbed at his shoulder as he spoke and Remus hummed in confirmation.

“It was fun, actually. I actually enjoyed myself,” Remus mused on. “Bring on all of your family members now. Mother, father, that squirrely looking vampire who has been staring at Lily all night. I’m ready now,” Remus carried on, feeling a bit of an adrenaline rush buzzing through his veins from the interaction.

“Whoa there, tiger. Don’t get carried away now. I know you’ve got an excellent right hook,” Remus groaned, predictably, like he always did, and Sirius smiled with satisfaction before taking another breath to continue, “and as much as I would _love_ for that to happen, it might put a damper on the wedding. And I would hate to do that to Regulus.”

“You’re the worst,” Remus huffed with an exasperated shake of his head.

“Mhm,” Sirius replied, and then a beat later, “Do you remember when we were in Sydney, and you still hated me—”

“I just love it when you bring that one up too.” 

“I love it too,” he smiled and Remus rolled his eyes, noting that James and Lily were slow dancing across the dance floor, and was that Peter with the Maid of Honor? “But remember when we spoke that time in the locker room? I think you had actually started to soften around me by that time. I’m pretty sure I saw you staring at me some point.”

“Me? Never,” Remus reacted with faux offense.

“Of course not. Not Remus Lupin, he would never,” Sirius played along, and then a moment later, “Anyway, we were in the locker room, I think you had just finished a heat in breaststroke and you were talking to Caradoc. I came out of the shower and Caradoc called me over, which I appreciated immensely at the time. I think I appreciate it even more now—”

“And you invited me to the bonfire? Of course I remember,” Remus confirmed, and then because he had been drinking and it didn’t matter anyway, “And yes, I was staring, definitely staring.”

Sirius smirked. “You noticed that I was singing Hozier while I was getting ready.”

“Yes. I wanted to murder you because I wasn’t supposed to like you and then there you were… singing a song by my favorite artist. And it wasn’t one of his popular songs, which made it even worse for me.”

Sirius laughed, “Fantastic. I did good,” he added and Remus hummed in agreement. “But I have a confession.”

“What?”

“I knew.” Sirius supplied simply as he turned them around. “I had only discovered him a couple days before. And I knew.”

“You knew what?”

“I knew that you loved him.” 

Remus froze in his movements and his eyebrows furrowed for a brief second before his head fell back in laughter. “Oh my god, I’m such an idiot. It was right there.”

Sirius smiled softly. “It was.”

“It was so obvious,” Remus continued.

“Indeed.”

“I allegedly _hated_ you, so you thought, ‘well I know he likes Hozier so maybe this little jingle will change his mind’.”

“Laugh about it Remus, but look how it all ended up.”

“But how did you even…” but then he went silent as the gears inside of his head started churning. And then a groan and an angry mutterance about _that fucking magazine_ that was met with a gleeful satisfied laugh from Sirius.

“The encyclopedia of all things Remus Lupin and how to make him fall in love with you,” Sirius provided, delighting in Remus’ discomfort on the topic.

“Don’t you dare give it that much credit,” Remus mumbled and Sirius laughed quietly. They continued the slow-dance, wrapped up in a small bubble that only included the two of them, void of Sirius’ family, whatever they were doing or thinking at the moment, void of everybody else. And that was nice.

Sirius hummed along with the music as they danced simply. Remus knew that he had likely been trained in some sort of ballroom during his upbringing, but the two of them stuck to basic steps and easy swaying, neither of them really leading the other. Instead, it felt like they were floating together in a light ease of appreciation. And that got Remus thinking a little.

“Do you think you’ll invite your parents to your wedding?” Remus asked without thinking much about it.

Sirius’ movements slowed, but just barely. He raised his eyebrows before responding. “ _My_ wedding?”

“Yes, Sirius. _Your_ wedding.”

“Of course not.”

“Good,” Remus said softly as he moved one of his hands to push a strand of hair behind Sirius’ ear.

“Oh you have opinions then?” Sirius asked with a smirk.

Remus smirked back at him, that unspoken something buzzing between them that was inevitably there given where they were and the topic that Remus had just brought up.

“Yes, Sirius. I’ve been dating you for nine months now. You bought a piece of real estate in Lake Tahoe. We have mind blowing sex. Of course I have opinions.” 

Sirius raised his eyebrows and gazed directly at Remus for a long minute. “Well good,” he concluded decidedly.

“Good,” Remus mimicked in the same tone.

“I’m glad.”

“Okay then.”

“But James parents would be there in place of mine,” Sirius added. 

Remus nodded thoughtfully. “I like that.”

Sirius was quiet for a moment. “But not anytime soon, right?”

“No,” Remus shook his head softly. “I quite like the way that things are going right now, don’t you?”

“Very much so,” Sirius confirmed, and Remus marveled at how easy this was. And how right. “But it’s fun to think about isn’t it?”

“Yes. It is fun to think about,” he agreed.

Sirius moved his mouth back down to Remus’ ear, as if he was about to say something scandalous. “Think about what the tabloids will say.”

Remus was surprised that he smiled so broadly at that. Maybe he’d gotten used to it. Maybe he’d even started to enjoy the attention just a little bit. “Remus Lupin, former American gold medalist, now the ultimate American gold digger,” he announced in a quiet voice that only Sirius could hear. 

“Sirius Black, former fuck-up extraordinaire, tamed by America’s beloved golden boy,” Sirius added in an identical tone.

“Well that one is true,” Remus deadpanned and Sirius snorted just as the song ended, turning his neck to place a kiss on Remus’ temple. A new song started, something upbeat that Remus didn’t recognize, but the two of them did not modify their slow and easy movements for it. 

“I love you,” Sirius finally said quietly, nearly a whisper, and it was laced with something uncertain that made Remus want to pull him completely into his arms. And so he did. 

“I love you too,” Remus said. Firmly and effortlessly, as if were saying something as basic as the sky being blue or his hometown being Tahoe.

They didn’t speak much more as the song continued to play, still unrecognizable and almost annoyingly upbeat, but held each other tightly, swaying to the rhythm of a song which was not the one filling the room. Instead, it was a rhythm that Sirius was humming into his ear, his breath leaving a heated trail along Remus’ neck. It didn’t take long for Remus to recognize it as Work Song and he couldn’t help but pull Sirius even more tightly against him while melting into him at the same time.

It was funny how much the span of less than a year could change, Remus thought. One year ago he had been preparing for the Olympics, training all day every day, fixated on what he needed to accomplish before he officially decided to retire. He certainly didn’t think fondly of Sirius Black, nor did he even consider that dating would be in the cards for him again anytime soon. And that had been a good life for him at the time. He had a purpose, he was good at it, and all-in-all he was happy with everything. 

But now here Remus was, dancing in the arms of the last man on earth he ever expected he would fall in love with, at a level of happiness he had never thought possible for himself. He had been happy before, content, never at a lack of things to do or people to spend time with. But in retrospect, it had all been so dull before Sirius — dull and mundane and gray, even though he didn’t realize it at the time. Sirius had charged into his life like a tornado full of color, and had connected with him on the deepest level Remus had ever felt in his life, grounding him and exciting him simultaneously, which was far more significant than words could describe. And Remus never wanted to live without him again.

That was the funny thing about life, he thought as he slow danced to the same song that James and Peter were now presumably performing Shrimp Hands to, how quickly it could change in such a short span of time. Remus learned the miserable aspect of that fact when his father died, but now he also knew it on the opposite side of the spectrum as well, thanks to Sirius. And the most special part of it all was that he knew that Sirius felt the same way, that both of their lives were enhanced for the better with the other in it. 

Remus wound his hands under Sirius’ jacket and used his fingers to massage gently at his spine. Was this all cliche? A year ago, Remus would have scoffed at it. But not anymore, because now he understood what this feeling was, and what it meant to both of them. Sirius continued to hum into his ear, a sporadic lyric being enunciated every so often, and Remus tapped a finger along with the melody that was meant for two of them only.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/quoththethestral) if that's your thing :).


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